


Matters of Circumstance

by auwana



Series: The Truths We Tell Ourselves [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
Genre: Eventual relationship, F/F, gotta get through the angst first, liberties have been taken with the structure of Light Speed Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-04-07 03:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 23,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19076152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auwana/pseuds/auwana
Summary: Before SHIELD, before the Avengers became a reality, Maria and Natasha fought a war for the world they can never tell anyone about.





	1. Chapter 1

Natalia had thought she found refuge in the last city anyone would think to look for her. Mariner Bay was constantly under attack by monsters, and giant robots barely managed to keep from crushing buildings. She didn't know why anyone would stay in such a city, but humans weren't exactly smart.

The city was as good as any base to operate out of while she took a few "easier" jobs. Getting in and out of the city was easy with the bands of tourists and Power Ranger fanatics. Sometimes she wondered if she would have an apartment to come back to, but it wasn't like she kept anything of value in it.

Anyone who could possibly tail her into the city would turn around at their first sight of Batlings. They were creepy, traveled in packs, and at least one always had a huge hand cannon. Even Natalia avoided them despite all her skills. She knew what challenges were beyond her.

Two months into her stay in Mariner Bay, Natalia was trudging back to her apartment after a too long flight across the county. Staying awake for forty-eight hours wasn't the problem. No, it was the poisoned knife her target had taken to carrying that was causing her to run a fever. Her immune system would deal with it eventually, as it hadn't been any kind of exotic toxin. Until then, however, Natalia was planning on doing nothing but sleeping.

Even world-renown assassins needed days off.

The combination of long days, illness, and her idiotic familiarity of the city are what she would always blame for her downfall. The first two Batlings were easy to dispatch by smashing their heads together. One grabbed her injured arm, making the knife slice throb in pain. Natalia nearly broke her hand on its face. She was dragged into the ally and found herself pinned to the brick wall of the building.

"There is so much blood on your hands," the demoness murmured. "Darkness and death surround you."

"You sure know how to talk to a lady." For the first time ever, Natalia hoped the good guys showed up quick. A general of a demonic army wasn't something she could handle on her own.

A clawed hand wrapped around her neck. "I hope you are pleased with those words; they will be the last you speak with free will."

Ice lanced through her veins. No. No no no-

Vypra's eyes glinted with malice. "You will make an excellent evil Ranger."

Natalia tried to fight back. Pinpricks in her neck told her Vypra's claws had pierced her skin. The world went dark, silent, and still.

* * *

Maria dodged around various Aquabase staff on her way to the command hub. Most of them were alert enough when the alarms went off to pay attention for hurrying Rangers. A handful had yet to understand why everyone was keeping to one side of the narrow halls.

Maria was second to arrive, but she had a feeling Dana was already in the room, so that didn't count. She nodded at her teammate and got a grim smile in return. The boys were only moments behind; Carter, ever serious to the point he made Maria look easy going; Joel, always eager for the next fight; and Chad, ready if not always willing. Maria couldn't blame Chad's hesitance. Demons from a realm of lost souls was a bit much, some days.

"Diabolico and Vypra have managed what we hope they never would," Colonel Mitchell said as the city's cameras filled the big screens at the front of the room. "One of our supply transports was attacked last night. Despite our best efforts to conceal the Titanium morpher, it was stolen. Now an evil Power Ranger is on the loose."

Maria felt her gut twist. Earth's only other evil Ranger had been in Angel Grove years ago, and he hadn't been easy to defeat. What little footage existed showed a powerful Ranger capable of taking on a whole team and winning. The demons would no doubt have just as powerful a Ranger.

"Do we have a means of destroying those powers?" Carter asked.

"There is a way," Doctor Fairweather said, "but I'll have to build the V-Lancers. We didn't think we would need a way to disconnect a Ranger from their morpher."

The Colonel ordered Fairweather to the labs and the Rangers to the streets. Maria morphed with her team and set aside her fear. They had to stop the Titanium Ranger, and that's all that mattered.

* * *

Natalia didn't know if this kind of mind control was better or worse than the conditioning of the Red Room. On the one hand, she knew who she was and what was going on. On the other hand, all she could do was sit in the back of her mind and watch her body do as Vypra and Diabolico demanded. At least she got superpowers; otherwise all this destruction she was causing would leave her bloody and broken.

She'd had enough of bloody and broken to last the rest of her life, thanks.

It was clear only two of the Power Rangers had any kind of martial arts training, and it was just advanced military hand-to-hand that Natalia had learned to overcome when she was a child. The other three had been learning but relied on their brute strength and weapons more than technique. It was far too easy to send them sprawling.

When the five Rangers were laid out and groaning, Natalia and Vypra were ready to destroy them.

"Stop." Diabolico arrived, seeming unconcerned of their near victory. "Queen Bansheera has different plans. Let us return."

Natalia mentally huffed. All the work, only to be recalled to base. It was a poor execution of their goals. Which, she supposed, worked out for the future of Earth. She hoped her inner thoughts wouldn't be voiced by the controlled part of her. Giving the demons ideas wasn't exactly on her to do list.

Queen Bansheera was little more than a specter. The once Queen of demons was trapped and as yet unable to return to the physical realm.

"My Queen," Diabolico said with a bow, "how can we serve you?"

"It seems the two of you have done something competent for a change. We will use this evil Ranger to deliver the energy I need to return to my full power. Give the Power Rangers a day to fret and worry. Tomorrow, return with one and kill it in my presence."

Diabolico and Vypra vowed to do so. Natalia was sent to a small room. Her body lay down, and her eyes closed. Trapped in her own mind, Natalia wished, for the first time in her life, that she wouldn't be at her best tomorrow.

* * *

Maria swung the V-Lance around in an arc, her grip shifting but never faltering. It was as heavy as she expected, and the buzz of energy tingling her fingertips was typical of Ranger weapons. She swung it over to rest on her shoulder as Dana walked in.

"You need to sleep," Dana said, holding her hand out for the Lance.

Maria rolled her eyes but surrounded the weapon. "I'm only listening to you because you're a doctor."

"Sure, it has nothing to do with me being right." Dana grinned and led the way out, handling the Lance as casually as she did a stethoscope. "How's your knee?"

"It doesn't even twinge anymore." Which was not a lie. When they had first started as Rangers, Dana had scared them all into being truthful with injuries. As the team medic, Dana had the power to bench them. Maria and the boys tended to tough it out until they got back to base. Dana settled for what she could get in terms of cooperation.

"Have you eaten?"

"You were there at dinner," Maria pointed out.

"Yes, and you've since sparred with Chad and started training with the new V-Lance." Dana left the Lance in the hands of the scientists at the lab. "Let's get you some fruit, at least."

"Shouldn't you be sleeping, too?" Maria half demanded as she followed Dana down the hall to the mess instead of the bunks.

"I needed to finish up reports, then herd Carter and Joel out of the gun range. Marina promised to notify me if Chad didn't get to his bunk in the next half an hour."

Maria grinned just a little. After the puppy-crush had faded from between the mermaid and Blue Ranger, their friendship had grown as deep as the bond the Rangers shared as a team. "I bet he never thought he'd have to worry about a mermaid being a tattle tale before all this."

Dana nodded in agreement. "Being a Power Ranger changes all definitions of normal, that's for sure."

They drifted through the mess hall and snagged a few fruits before heading towards the bunks. The night crew had settled in, and there weren't a lot of people to witness the two female Rangers on the team munching on some apples. Their quarters were right across from each other. Maria opened the door to her's and turn to wish Dana a good night. The other Ranger was leaning against her door, head down, lost in thought.

"What's wrong?" Maria asked.

"One evil Ranger with no experience could have killed us today." Dana looked up, worried. "Even with the V-Lancers, do you think we stand a chance?"

Maria knew Dana wasn't asking her for words of comfort. Carter was good at being comforting. Joel would tell a joke, and Chad would be wise. Maria just shrugged. "Do we have a choice?"

Dana took a moment, nodded, and thanked her. Maria headed for her shower and hoped being a Power Ranger wasn't the end of her military career.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Muses LIKE this idea. enjoy it while it lasts, kids  
> Think of Ranger uniform like the '17 movie armor, not the series spandex. okay? okay.

Natalia had to wonder just how weak and stupid the demons were that she was able to defeat the Power Rangers for the second day in a row. Sure, she had superpowers and was physically and mentally superior to an average human, but it honestly shouldn't have been so easy. The Rangers even had shiny new weapons that did knock her around a bit. After shattering a good chunk of the Red Ranger's rib cage, tossing the Green and Pink Rangers into the ocean, and punching the Blue Ranger hard enough to crack his helmet, she grabbed the Yellow Ranger in a choke hold.

Diabolico teleported them back to the caves. Natalia tossed the Yellow Ranger down in front of the spectral form of Queen Bansheera. Vypra and Diabolico had their weapons drawn and ready.

"The full force of a Ranger's death will be too pure," the Queen said. "Lock her up. She will be weaker tomorrow."

Natalia watched the Yellow Ranger get hauled away before her body was directed to rest. She hadn't eaten since being taken, nor had she left the Titanium armor. As far as she could tell, however, her body was functioning properly. When her eyes closed, she started to push against the mental cage. Killing on orders from the Red Room was one thing. Killing a Power Ranger would be something else entirely.

Natalia wasn't stupid. The moment the Rangers were all dead, she would be of no use to the demons. Since the Rangers couldn't save her, she had to do everything possible to save herself.

* * *

Maria had learned to sleep with one eye open. Except for the occasionally demonic howl, she was left alone in the tiny cell. Her armor kept her warm, though it didn't stop hunger from gnawing at her. She ignored it as best she could. The Aquabase had spoiled her a little; Colonel Mitchell believed in feeding his people properly, and Rangers had higher metabolisms. Going back to regular Army meals after this posting was going to suck.

As realistic as Maria was about her current situation, she still liked to think she would have a life after being a Ranger. She blamed her teammates. Carter kept in touch with his firehouse while Chad took time to visit his old job at least once a week. Joel didn't perform, but he still went flying when he could. Dana only had a handful of people on the base, while Maria had been assigned to the Aquabase a week before being made a Ranger.

There was no telling how much time had passed when Vypra and the Titanium Ranger showed up. Bright red blood was drying on various areas of the Titanium armor. Maria was led back to the main room, where the mist that had held Queen Bansheera was now showing a part of the city. Maria was forced to her knees, and Diabolico put his sword to her neck.

Vypra and the Ranger started an attack with Batlings. The moment Maria's team showed up, she saw them falter at the sight of blood on the Titanium Ranger.

"I will tell you this," the evil Ranger said, "she didn't beg. But her screams echoed for hours until she died."

Dana's hand gripped Chad's shoulder, and Joel fisted his hands.

"You're lying!" Carter said. God, what Maria would give for his conviction.

The Titanium Ranger shrugged. "Believe what you will."

There wasn't even a real battle. The Batlings were left to their fates while Vypra returned with the Ranger. Queen Bansheera replaced the view of the city and Maria's team.

"Beat her down," the Queen ordered, "watch the fight fade from her eyes. When you kill her, make it linger."

The Titanium Ranger nodded before kicking Maria in the head. Maria didn't lose consciousness, but it was a close thing. They were in a pit a moment later, demons lining the walls.

Maria pushed herself to her feet. "We didn't want to kill you. We know there's someone innocent under their control." She fell into a fighting stance. "But I have no plans of dying so you can live."

* * *

Natalia felt the moment of comprehension like an electric charge. _That's_  why it had been so easy to defeat them. The Rangers weren't weak; they were trying to take her alive. Demons could be outright killed. An evil Ranger was someone they had to save.

Natalia wanted the Yellow Ranger to be the practical one. There was no escape even if she did defeat Natalia, but at least her death would keep the other Rangers alive to defend the world. Natalia might have been willing to work for the highest bidder, but at least no one wanted to destroy the world.

She lived on Earth. She wanted it to stay undestroyed and uncontrolled by genocidal aliens and demons.

Too bad the fight wasn't going all that well for the Yellow Ranger. The yellow armor was starting to chip and crack. Natalia didn't know how long they had been fighting. Dust caked the Ranger, and she was panting heavily. Natalia herself could see her chest rising and falling faster, felt her pulse racing.

The Ranger raised her hands once more. This time, she didn't move in for an attack. She hit a button on the control panel embedded on in the wrist of her armor.

"V-Lancer!"

For a long moment, nothing happened. The demons started to jeer.

In a flash of yellow light, the weapon appeared in the Ranger's hands. Natalia could see the Ranger catch a second wind. Natalia attacked. The Yellow Ranger held nothing back. There was a crack in Natalia's helmet a minute later. Survival mode had hit the Yellow Ranger hard.

Natalia was staring down the blaster. She could dodge, but the damn things had a wide blast zone.

At the last moment, the Ranger aimed down and to Natalia's right.

Pain erupted from Natalia's wrist before the world once again went dark, silent, and still.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June 7 2019: I got too excited and forgot this chapter :sweat drop:

Maria shook as she held the redhead up on the stage with her. The auction hall was full of aliens, and she saw nothing even remotely human among the speculative faces. Her stomach twisted in exhaustion and hunger and apprehension.

After she forced the evil Ranger to demorph, Vypra and Diabolico couldn't reestablish their control. It was decided that if the demons couldn't have them, then Earth wouldn't, either. Maria had no clue the demons had been in touch with the evils of the galaxy. A half bug woman named Trakeena arrived to take Maria and the Titanium Ranger to the planet Onyx.

Now, as Power Rangers of Earth, Maria and the still unconscious Titanium Ranger were up for sale. Fortunately or not, no one seemed all that interested in them. It probably had to do with the armor she wore. Maria didn't want to know what someone would do to them, but she also didn't want to know what would happen if they couldn't be sold.

After the auction, they were shoved onto a transport ship with a handful of others who hadn't been sold. No one looked at them. Maria carried the redhead off the ship so that the monsters couldn't touch her. The cell they were put in didn't allow them to stand. Maria tucked the other Ranger into a back corner and curled up near the bars.

"Feed them," a monster with a monocle told another. "Then isolate them. They can be sent to the arena in the morning."

Maria didn't like the sound of that. A few minutes later, two bowls of something steaming and blue were kicked through the bars. Maria risked removing her helmet to smell it. The delicious aroma made her mouth water.

She didn't trust it.

Not eating would only weaken her more. The food might be poisoned. Either way, she was in a world of hurt. A groan sounded behind her. Maria turned to see the redhead rubbing at her eyes.

"Please don't be evil."

Dull green eyes focused on her immediately. Blinked. She cracked her knuckles. "I'm back in control."

The tension in Maria's shoulders relaxed. "Glad to see it worked."

"Where are we?" she asked as she eyed the bowl handed to her.

"A planet called Onyx. When Vypra couldn't control you again, she had an alien bring us here. We were just at an auction," something about that made the redhead freeze, "and they said something about an arena in the morning."

She looked down at the bowl. "This smells amazing." She sounded far more suspicious than Maria felt.

"Which is exactly why I haven't eaten it yet. Maria, by the way."

Green eyes locked onto her and seemed to search for something. "Natalia." She made a face. "I'll taste it. My body will metabolize it faster. We should know in half an hour if it's safe."

Maria nodded, and Natasha sipped a mouthful of the gruel. It was only minutes later that light and sound from the outside was cut off from the cell.

"I don't like this," Natalia drawled.

"They said they would isolate us after feeding us." Maria huffed. "I think this is their way of letting us rest."

"Rest in a box about as big as a coffin. Sure."

"....Did you really have to put it that way?"

"Yes."

"I don't like you."

Natalia hummed. "That's fine. Some days I don't like myself."

Half an hour later, Maria drained her bowl in three gulps. The food settled into her stomach. Her shaking stopped. She leaned against the wall next to Natalia. Something wasn't right about the other woman; she should've been freaking out. But Maria didn't have the brain power to figure it out. She didn't care why she passed out so quickly; sedatives in the food or her own exhaustion, sleep was going to be her only escape from her current hell.

  
~

Natalia woke with a start. Light and noise filled the cell, surprising Maria into consciousness as well. A team of minions appeared, and the bars sank into the ground. They were yanked out by their ankles and prodded to their feet.

Maria carried her helmet at her side and eyed the number of weapons each of the robots carried.

"Not yet," Natalia murmured.

Maria glanced at her but nodded.

The hall opened to a dusty circle ringed by metal walls. Thousands upon thousands of aliens and monsters sat in the stands.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Maria muttered.

On the other side of the arena, two bipedal creatures made of stone stepped out onto the field. They held massive stone clubs covered in knicks and dried blood.

"This morning's contestants," a voice echoed through the stands, "are the reigning tier five champions, the Roggentaugh!"

Cheers rose from the crowd.

"Their latest victims are Power Rangers of Earth!"

Natalia wondered why 'Earth' was the hissed out word, not Power Rangers. She also wondered if she would live long enough to find out.

"I checked the morpher as best I could," Maria said in a rush. "You should be able to morph."

"Do I have to shout like Vypra made me do the first time?"

Maria smirked as she put her helmet back on. "How else is the morpher going to know what you want?"

Natalia had a feeling she was being played. Whatever. She pressed the red button, causing the morpher to crack open and glow. "Titanium power!"

The armor erupted from her skin and covered her. She sighed in relief. At least this way, she had a chance. Sure, she would've gone against the stone aliens with no hesitation, but she would use any advantage she had.

"Think you can summon that fancy lance to you all the way out here?" Natalia asked as the Roggentaugh charged.

"I think we should steal those clubs for ourselves." Maria sounded vicious. She sounded ready.

Maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't die today.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i made up alien names cause i caaaaaan

Maria tilted her bowl in shallow circles, watching the steam rise from the blue goo. "What's it smell like to you?"

"Avocados and mayonnaise."

Maria rolled her eyes. Over the last twenty-four hours, Natalia had proven to be a closed book if it had nothing to do with their immediate survival. There were a handful of truths Maria had been able to pick out; Natalia had learned martial arts as a child, moved faster than an average human even when not morphed, needed more food than Maria, and healed quickly from poison. The last one, though, Natalia attributed to her new superpowers.

"I heal quickly, but not _that_  quickly."

They demophed only in their cell, and only after battles. They went to sleep morphed just in case someone decided to menace them while they rested. Maria had asked about setting up watches, but Natalia seemed to think they were both high strung enough to not need to stand guard.

"Either I wake you up right before something happens, or you get woken as it starts." Natalia shrugged. "Either way, you're surprised. And it would be best if you didn't wake me suddenly."

Their third fight happened before lights out on their second day. They were escorted to the ring, where three lithe beings of fire were waiting.

"Where are they finding these people?" Natalia asked after she morphed.

"This galaxy is a big place," Maria murmured. "Do you think dusting them will put out the flames?"

"Only one way to find out."

The Hiithalish sprinted at the two Rangers, the red flames engulfing them turning blue. Natalia raced forward to meet them. Maria stayed two steps behind. At the last moment, Natalia leaped over them. Maria kicked one to the side, punched another towards Natalia, and swept the feet out from under the third. Natalia kicked up dust, causing the flames to stutter and gut.

The trio retaliated swiftly, trying to separate the two Rangers. Maria and Natalia kept fighting their way back towards each other, constantly attacking at least one opponent between them. Natalia knocked a Hiithalish to the ground and started to kick it over and over, rolling it through the dirt. The screams sounded like the hiss of steam escaping.

Maria punched one in the head to keep it from attacking Natalia from behind. She managed to block an attack from the third, giving Natalia the chance to do what she did best.

The snap of a broken neck was followed by the whumph of fire going out.

The remaining two Hiithalish turned white with rage.

Maria didn't remember the rest of the fight.

* * *

Natalia tugged off her helmet once they were back in their cell. "You need to lose the armor."

Maria shook her head, hyperventilating through the heat and pain. They hadn't won the fight, but the battle had ended before Natalia could kill a second fire breather. She had a distinct feeling the aliens didn't like how well she and Maria were doing.

"Your subconscious thinks the confines of your helmet and the weight of your armor are suffocating you. Lose the armor."

Maria's hands fisted. Natalia dug her fingers under Maria's jaw and found the pressure point needed to manually open the helmet. Maria gasped when she was exposed to the open air. Two seconds later, her armor was gone.

"Learn to listen to your betters," Natalia said as she let her armor fade away. Calling and dismissing the armor was becoming far too second nature for her liking; she didn't want to get used to power she knew she wouldn't be allowed to keep should they find a way back to Earth. Even if Natalia could escape with the Titanium Morpher, using it would always be a risk.

Maria rolled to her side, resting in a recovery position while she caught her breath. Natalia could see the bright red skin on Maria's neck where one of the Hiithalish tried to burn through the armor. She knew her chest where she had taken a punch would be no better.

A jug of water was tossed into the cell. Natalia didn't like how weak her arms were when she lifted it. The food was keeping them alive, but she was losing muscle mass. She sipped at it while Maria pushed herself up to lean against the wall. Natalia could see how badly Maria's hands were trembling. Either the heat had swelled her brain, or the near-death experience had shaken her.

Natalia held the jug to Maria's lips and carefully tipped it. Maria drank what she could before tilted her head up. Natalia set it down in the corner beside her. "Let me know when you need more."

"Thanks." Maria squeezed her eyes shut. "I have the worst headache ever."

Brain swelling it was. "They did try to boil your brain in your skull."

"I really didn't need it described that way."

"I really don't need you dying before we get out of here."

Maria stared at her.

"What?"

"What that optimism I just heard?"

Natalia scoffed. "The brain swelling is making you delusional."

The cell was suddenly pitch black and cut off from the outside world.

Maria scooted down to lay as flat as she could. "Earth isn't the only planet with Power Rangers. Someone will hear about us. We just have to survive long enough for them to get here."

Natalia sat up for a long time and thought about just how much she didn't doubt that they would be rescued. This situation was absolutely hopeless. And yet...

She scratched at the skin beneath the morpher. The stupid thing was infecting her mind. She hoped rescue came soon so she could give it to Maria and leave Mariner Bay.

Wait. She hoped for rescue. Hoped. She slumped down to her back and closed her eyes. Damn it.

Sleep came easy as she quietly, carefully, hoped.


	5. Chapter 5

One of the bigger monsters appeared in front of their cell after their fourth fight on their third day. "Get up. You're going back to auction."

Maria gulped down her goo and saw Natalia do the same. They slid out of the cell and stood, noting there were two more monsters. No minions for this task. That was bad.

"Hopefully someone buys these two," the bee monster muttered behind them. "No one is going to like it if they make it to the third tier."

Maria glanced at Natalia, but she only looked ahead. After defeating the tier five champions, the aliens had started to run them through the tier four gladiators. While their fighting styles were very different, they worked well together. Maria was fine at being bait in the front while Natalia swept up behind their opponents to deliver fatal blows.

Once locked into the transport ship, Natalia asked, "They aren't speaking any language I know, but I understand them."

"The powers are doing that," Maria said. She saw Natalia's suspicion and explained. "Our devices draw on the power of the Morphing Grid. It's this quantum energy field, and that's really all I can understand without feeling like my brain is unfolding."

Natalia gave her a bemused look.

"Anyway. The Grid gives us the ability to understand any sentient being." Maria tilted her head. "How many languages do you know?"

"Sixteen."

Maria was impressed, but Natalia didn't have a drop of arrogance in her. In fact, she looked almost sad about it. Learning sixteen languages couldn't have been easy, and Maria wondered what Natalia had to endure for the knowledge. Learning one in high school had been hell enough for Maria.

The auction house was neither more or less crowded than before. This time, however, there were a handful of more human-looking aliens in attendance. They were told to morph before being brought on stage. Maria noticed for the first time that she was taller than Natalia. The other Ranger had a larger than life presence that Maria never gave it much thought. Natalia was shoulder height to Maria, and for some odd reason, that made over protectiveness surge through her. The redhead dealing well on her own. Maria rolled her eyes at her own instincts.

But, being a Ranger meant caring far too much about almost everything.

"Here we have the Yellow and Silver Power Rangers of Earth," the announcer said, also spitting the word "Earth" like it was a curse. "They have proven their strength in the arena, climbing through the tier four ranks." He ignored the wave of hisses and boos. "With the proper controlling mechanisms in place, they can be used to your advantage."

Maria didn't like the sound of that. The way Natalia stopped breathing for fifteen seconds told Maria she was in agreement. The aliens, however, looked far more intrigued than ever before.

"We will start the bidding at one thousand zanabatars."

The numbers rose quickly. Maria's heart started to race despite her best efforts to keep calm. At twenty thousand zanabatars, Natalia's hands fisted and relaxed.

"One million."

Silence fell over the hall.

Aliens and monsters turned to the source of the voice. A woman leaned against the bar, looking completely human as far as Maria could tell. Everyone was slowly backing away from her.

"Astronema," the auctioneer murmured. He stepped away from the podium and bowed a little. "We are honored to have you here."

Astronema made her way over, seemingly bored. "I've heard rumors of Rangers on Onyx. I wanted to confirm those whispers. Knowing they are of Earth will make this far sweeter."

"Do you truly bid one million zanabatars on them?"

Astronema tapped a finger tipped in glittering black polish on her lower lip. "How about I take the Rangers," she looked around the room, "and all of you get to keep your lives."

The auctioneer didn't hesitate. He snapped at Maria and Natalia, who were shoved off the stage by the monsters behind them. Astronema held them both by their chins, and when Natalia tried to tug her head away, the hold turned vice-like.

"You will not enjoy the chains I put you in," Astronema murmured. She pointed at the door. They had no choice but to obey. There was no fighting their way out of this just yet.

~

Natalia's stomach twisted. Something wasn't right. The way everyone looked at Astronema, it was as if they saw a ghost. Some were outright fleeing down side streets. Every sign told Natalia the woman behind them was dangerous. Except... Natalia didn't get that feeling.

The ship was small, sleek, and sharp. It was black lined in purple and looked like it could do a lot of damage very quickly. Natalia and Maria were secured behind the pilot's seat, which Astronema took with ease and grace. Maria looked over at Natalia, but nothing could be read through the dark visors.

They broke through the atmosphere with no problem and promptly left the star system. The moment they were in some kind of hyperdrive, Astronema tore off her black hair.

The golden blonde locks were severely out of place with the black leather and metal adornments. She looked back at them and grinned. "That was fun."

Natalia and Maria were released with a switch on the control panel. Maria stood and demorphed, but Natalia wasn't quite ready to trust this stranger just yet.

"What's going on?" Maria demanded.

"As far as Onyx is concerned, you've been taken by Astronema, general to the former leader of the Alliance of Evil. Dark Specter's death at the end of the war a few years ago means Astronema is considered rightful heir to what's left of his armies."

"Everyone in that auction house thought you were going to kill them," Natalia said.

She sobered, looking far older than Natalia suspected she was. "I would have if it meant keeping my cover."

"But if you're not Astronema," Maria said, "who are you?"

"When I'm not being mind controlled by evil galactic overlords," she stood and held out her hand, "I'm Karone of the Quasar Rangers."

Maria shook it, introducing them both.

Natalia ignored the triumphant look Maria sent her. "We're heading back to Earth, then?"

Karone nodded. "We're going to rendezvous with my brother's Astro Megaship since it can cross the distance faster. You'll be able to clean up, and we'll run a few medical scans to make sure you don't bring anything exotic home."

Natalia wondered how invasive medical examinations were in space. She finally demorphed and settled into the copilot chair. She started to look over the instrument panel, and Karone was quick to give her a run down. Natalia had no real plans to steal a space ship, but learning how to fly one was never going to be a bad idea.

Glancing at the morpher around her wrist, Natalia felt relief seeping into her skin. Soon, this would all be over.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It should be noted that I consider the events of Lost Galaxy a separate reality. Super Ninja Steel confirmed that some series happen in alt realities, so LSR is the latest Ranger activity Earth has seen since the events of Angel Grove and In Space.

For the first time in almost a week, Maria felt clean. She closed her eyes, and her forehead rested on the door to the bathroom. The tension in her shoulders had eased a little, but she had a feeling she wouldn't be completely relaxed until she was back in her bunk on Earth.

Fuck, this wasn't what she signed up for.

Maria hadn't been as naive as Joel and Chad when she was given the Yellow Lightspeed Morpher. She knew the job wasn't going to be all ass-kicking and saving the day. After she had received her assignment, she had done as much research into Angel Grove as she could. While the monsters wouldn't be the same, the idea was identical: Protect Earth at all costs.

Maria was ready to die for the cause. Well, no, she wasn't, but she would if it came down to her life or the world. She never expected alien gladiator arenas and auction houses and being so far from Earth.

She took a slow, deep breath, the air more steam than anything else. Straightening up, she ran a hand through her damp hair before opening the door. The bedroom was dim and empty, not in use by the Astro Ranger to whom it was assigned. Maria didn't linger; once in the hall, she retraced her steps to the infirmary. Natalia was already there, red hair curling as it dried. Green eyes marked Maria's entrance before refocusing on the tablet Andros was showing her.

Maria laid down on the bed next to Natalia's, and a pale blue beam of light fell on her. There was no noise, and the scan was quick. When Maria sat up, Natalia seemed relieved as Andros finished up.

"As for you," he said as he handed over the tablet, "dehydration is the most you're suffering from. You weren't infected with anything alien, and there's no trace of the toxin they give to most gladiators."

"Toxin?" Maria asked.

He nodded. "It's in the first meal, and a tiny amount of the antidote is in the following meals. The poison won't kill most people, but without consistent access to the antidote, it's painful to flush from the system."

"Is there a chance they left triggers in our minds?" Natalia asked, voice low.

"No, it's not their style, even less so with Rangers, I suspect."

"For any particular reason?"

Andros opened his mouth, closed it, and shook his head. "This will take some explaining. Let's get you both some food."

They followed him out of the room and down the hall. Maria sent Natalia a look, silently asking how she was holding up. Natalia quirked a side of her mouth. Was the nearest thing to a smile Maria had ever seen out of her.

The small mess hall smelled delicious. Zhane and Karone had their own plates, and the amount of food laid out would be too much for them all even with hunger taken into account.

"We didn't know what you would want," Zhane said, "so we just decided on the favorite foods of our Earth teammates."

Maria traded another look with Natalia. They both shrugged and dug in. They were probably going to make themselves sick, but Maria honestly didn't care at this point. Once they were seated, Andros leaned back in his chair and grew thoughtful.

"The reason you had to be bought out of Onyx," Karone said, "is because there's no force large enough to invade the planet."

"Not your fault," Andros said absently. He shook himself. "Sending you two out into the ring as entertainment is one thing. That's expected of Onyx, which is another reason it's allowed to stand."

"Knowing where to start looking for the bad guys is incredibly convenient," Zhane said. "If the auction house and arena moved, it would've taken us longer to find you."

"As for the mental triggers you asked about," Andros said, causing Karone's eyes to narrow, "embedding sleeper agents like that into a Ranger team rarely works out. Either the Morphing Grid starts to reject the Ranger, or when the trigger is activated, the Ranger's team reacts with extreme prejudice."

"Which includes annihilating those involved with planting the trigger phrase," Zhane said. "And no one in the Milky Way is eager to piss off Earth any time soon."

"Why is that?" Maria asked. "Everyone said Earth like it was a curse."

"It is to them," Karone said. "Angel Grove wasn't an isolated incident. By the time I had the city under siege, most of the galaxy had been taken over by the Alliance of Evil. Dark Specter was about two days away from wiping out the forces of Light."

Maria swallowed her bite of food and lost her appetite. Earth had been two days from being either destroyed or enslaved. And the woman sitting across from her would've done it all without a second thought.

Okay. That wasn't fair. Karone was mind controlled. But still.

"The explosion of light," Andros said, slowly, carefully, "was the death of a very powerful, very old Ranger. It was the release of all his energy. The Purification Wave destroyed ninety percent of Ranger Corps enemies in the galaxy."

Maria could tell that this wasn't a conversation Andros wanted to be having. He looked lost again, and Karone was worried about her brother. She had a feeling the actions taken to cause such a death were not easy to live with.

"Did you know there were Power Rangers on Earth again?" Natalia asked, the calm in her voice more of a warning than an inquiry.

"Our old teammates told us, yes," Zhane said. "But we don't have powers, and since your morphers were created by the government-"

Natalia stiffened. "What?"

Maria frowned. "Vypra and Diabolico didn't tell you? Lightspeed Rescue is a U.S. Military project to keep the demons under Mariner Bay from escaping."

Natalia yanked the morpher off her wrist and shoved it down the table towards Maria. "When we get back to Earth, I'm not being dropped off anywhere near California."

Maria picked up her jaw. "What? Why?" The idea of Natalia leaving made her want to panic. She didn't know why, she'd only known Natalia for three days, and didn't really know her at all.

Natalia pushed her plate away and looked straight ahead at nothing. "If I go anywhere near your base of operations, someone will put a bullet in my head."

The trio across from them were a little confused, and a lot horrified. Maria was instantly suspicious as to what Natalia had done to deserve a kill order. But the fate of the world meant more than whatever Natalia's past.

"Okay, usually I'm not this naive," Maria said, "but you're going to be the only one who can use the Titanium morpher."

Natalia narrowed her eyes but still didn't look at her. "You're not going to ask what I did to be killed on sight?"

Maria shrugged. "I figured you weren't exactly an innocent civilian caught in the crossfire when you didn't panic after waking up on an alien planet after being mind controlled by demons."

Which was true, she just didn't really have time to think about it. Or, perhaps, didn't want to think about what circumstances would create such a person.

Natalia considered the words for a moment, then shrugged. "Fair point. But why am I the only one who can use the morpher?"

"It was made to be stronger than our current ones and was being tested off-site. When no one could handle the power surge, they sent it to the Aquabase to see if a current Ranger was able to adapt." Maria nudged the morpher back over. "You're strong enough."

"I'm no hero." She didn't sound sad or upset. It was a fact of her life, and one she accepted.

Karone chuckled. "As someone who was kidnapped and indoctrinated by the forces of evil at age five and then took over half the galaxy BEFORE being mind controlled to finish the job, you're not exactly setting precedence here, Nat."

Natalia sent the Pink Ranger an unreadable look. Maria didn't know if it was for the nickname or for the new information into Karone's past. Either way, a few moments later, Natalia softened just a hint and reconsidered the morpher.

"I'm no hero, either," Maria said. "I'm a soldier, and this is a war. Can you really walk away and pretend everything is fine?"

"I can," she answered with enough confidence to surprise them. "One more person on the front lines isn't going to make a difference."

"You'd be surprised," Zhane said. "It's different when you're a Ranger."

"At the very least, get your revenge." Karone caught Natalia's eyes and held them. "Make them pay for taking your free will. Have them suffer just as you did." The cold, calm lit to her voice was a shadow of Astronema's but still made Maria's spine stiffen. "Destroy them in the same ways they tried to destroy you."

It was apparently what Natalia needed to hear. She picked up the morpher, turning it over in her hands. She shot a grin at Maria. "The only one strong enough, huh?"

Maria rolled her eyes. "Yes, Nat, you're the strongest of us all."

That unreadable look passed over her face again. She strapped the morpher back on her wrist. "If I'm going to do this, we need a plan."

Maria nodded. "Whatever it takes." They had a world to protect, and Maria would see it done even if it meant committing treason to do it.


	7. Chapter 7

Natalia frowned as she settled on the couch of her new, vaguely hidden apartment. She felt guilty. It was stupid. There was nothing she could do to help Maria return to the Aquabase. Andros and Zhane escorted Maria down after the group of them arranged for Natalia to stay in the city with a solid cover story and funds to live on. Two morphed Rangers in uniforms from Angel Grove were of more use to Maria than a semi-formerly evil Titanium Ranger.

Zhane and Andros would explain that Natalia wanted to remain anonymous, and since she agreed to protect Earth, they would respect her wishes. Maria would sell the story of them having been morphed the entire time and so wouldn't be able to describe what Natalia looked like. Zhane was loaning his Galaxy Glider to her so she could join the Lightspeed team quickly when battles erupted. It came with a cloaking upgrade so she could come and go without being seen or trailed.

As much as Natalia had no desire to be doing this what so ever, she also didn't want demons to take over Earth. She would use the powers, help protect the city for a month or so, then turn them over and leave. It would be evident soon enough that she wasn't meant for them.

* * *

Maria sat in the middle of her bed and sighed in frustration. This was ridiculous. She was ridiculous. There was no way three days in a cave affected her this much. She refused to believe she was so easy to hurt.

Yet, here she was, wanting to crawl under her bed and sleep on the floor.

Rubbing at her eyes, she stood and headed for the door. Her brain wasn't going to shut up unless she did something different. She left her quarters and hit the chime for Dana's room. The doctor opened the door quickly enough.

"What's up?" Dana asked, eyes already examining Maria for injury, noting her frustration and distress.

"I spent all of two nights in a cave about the size of a large car trunk, and now I can't sleep."

Dana stepped aside to let her in and secured the door. "I take it you're not asking for something to take if your here and not in medical?"

"I don't want drugs," Maria said, firm and absolutely sure. "I just... Can I crash on your couch? I got used to hearing someone always at my side, too."

"You don't have the take the couch," Dana said, waving at the bed. "It'll fit us both, and you don't strike me as someone who will cuddle me to death."

Maria pouted. "What do you mean I can't cuddle you?"

Dana rolled her eyes. "Careful, I'll tell Joel you have a sense of humor."

Maria took the side of the bed next to the wall, hoping the firm surface at her back would help. "I have a sense of humor, just not one he appreciates."

Dana tossed a pillow between them and settled in with a book. "True. Do you want to talk to psych tomorrow?"

Maria replied by pulling the sheet over her head.

"You're allowed to have PTSD after three days imprisoned on an alien planet, fighting for your life, with no certainty of rescue from people who were told you were dead."

Maria remained silent. A page was turned. She sighed. "If I still can't sleep in my own bed tomorrow night, I'll go."

"Deal."

Maria had no plans of needing help the next night. She would force herself to stay in her own room. After all, Natalia had no way of getting help, either.

* * *

Natalia looked down at her wrist when it chirped two days after her return to Earth. Since she wasn't staying in the Aquabase, Zhane had put communication abilities in her and Maria's morphers. Maria promised to only use it for battles and similar emergencies since Natalia wanted nothing to do with Lightspeed Rescue. Maria also promised to not let anyone else use the communicator unless she was dead.

Natalia slipped into an ally and tapped at the morpher. "Where?"

Maria rattled off a location and Natalia hit the button that would call the armor. Her fellow gladiator was a liar; the morpher didn't need a voice command. Karone had quietly explained it was a way teams bonded and boosted each other's morale. The declaration of their power source was a reassurance to everyone around them as well as a reaffirmation to themselves.

Natalia summoned the Galaxy Glider and felt better once she knew she was cloaked. Shining silver armor was the exact opposite of everything she knew. But this was power, and this task allowed her to disappear for a solid month. She would use it to her advantage.

The sight of Batlings made her fists clench. She landed behind the minions facing Maria. The surprise attack didn't give her an advantage for long. The Batlings were quick to split their forces in an attempt to overrun both Rangers.

"I'm pleased to see you alive," Diabolico said as he burst through a knot of minions. "Because now I can kill you myself!"

Natalia ducked under his attack and kicked out his knee. Maria plowed through Batlings to join her, the Red Ranger on her heels. Her world tilted with two people fighting on either side of her. Sure, she had done missions with other Red Room operatives before, but this was different. Yes, Maria and the Red Ranger wanted Diabolico destroyed. But she knew, she absolutely had no doubt, that they were looking out for her, too.

The concept was dizzying.

When Diabolico became giant-sized, the Red Ranger squeezed her shoulder. "Thanks for your help." He sprinted away to join his team.

"Stay safe," Maria ordered.

"Don't die," Natalia shot back as she summoned the Glider.

"If you can't manage it, no one else will."

Natalia shook her head and left the scene. Maria was going to get herself killed. Oh, well. Just as long as she didn't bring Natalia down with her.


	8. Chapter 8

"This is completely unnecessary," Natalia hissed. "I'll heal on my own."

"But will you before the next fight?" Maria demanded.

She huffed. It was all the answer Maria needed. She yanked the door to the bedroom opened and waved Dana in.

Dana smiled at Natalia. "You're in luck, I have no idea who you are. Sit. Let me see your leg."

Natalia sat on the edge of the bed and rolled up her pant leg. Maria leaned against the dresser and crossed her arms, keeping an eye on them both. Dana knelt down and examined the wrap around bruise from the monster with far too many tentacles. Natalia could see similar injuries peeking out from Maria's short sleeves and Dana's left wrist.

"The armor protected you from broken bones," Dana said, "but you need to stay off this leg. If you push yourself, it'll take even longer to heal."

"My body can handle a lot more than this."

"That doesn't mean you should make it do so." She pulled a tube of ointment from her small bag of supplies. "Here. You were yanked off your feet pretty hard. This'll help with the pain of any strained muscles."

Natalia knew it wouldn't work on her, but she wasn't going to be a complete asshole to someone she needed at her back. "I'll give it a try."

"It's formulated for Rangers and our higher pain tolerances." Dana zipped her bag shut. "You can communicate with Maria, do so if you need anything." She saw the dubious look Natalia was giving her. "I understand the idea of a team is new to everyone except Carter-"

"Hey," Maria protested, "I've been on teams before."

"You were assigned to a unit, that's different." Dana looked back at Natalia. "You're fighting on my side, and that's all that matters to me. I'd much rather take preventative measures than risk mid-battle triage because you didn't speak up."

Natalia could see the wisdom in that. She nodded once. "I'll let you know if there's something I can't do for myself."

Dana opened her mouth, closed it, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You know what, I'll take that. Stay safe."

Maria followed Dana out of the room. "Be careful."

Natalia tilted her head, frowning, as she listened for the front door to close. The casual absent-mindedness to their farewells caught her off guard. The same words had been spoken by the Astro Rangers before they left, and Maria had told her the same after their first battle on Earth. It was appropriate given a Ranger's life and danger.

Still, she didn't like how comfortable they were with her. It would just mean more trouble when they learned she was worse than Vypra and Diabolico.

* * *

Maria hit the ground for the eighth time. She stayed there, grass tickling the back of her neck. "Why did I agree to this?"

"Masochism, if I had to guess," Natalia said as she dropped a water bottle on Maria's stomach.

"I am not-"

Laughter cut her off. It made her ears tingle; Natalia's laugh sounded rusty and disused, but genuine all the same. "You willingly joined the military, which is by far one of the worst places to be as a woman, then you agreed to fight monsters with untested superpowers, and continued to do so even after being left for dead."

Maria sat up and opened her water bottle. "That's stubborn idiocy, not masochism." She chugged half the bottle. Sparring with Natalia was a fucking workout, but no one else was available. Sure, Natalia could use the armor on base, but she wasn't ever going to risk that.

"With the right sadist," Natalia mused, "masochism isn't bad at all."

"Speaking from experience?" Maria drawled.

Her voice pitched low, but not in a guarded way. "Want to find out?"

Something about how she said it made it feel like warm honey was sliding down the small of Maria's back. She chucked her water bottle at Natalia's face. It was caught easily enough. "Not right now. You're covered in sweat and probably reek."

"I'll have you know I smell like roses right now." She tossed their water bottles at the pack Maria had brought. "Get up and stretch before your muscles bitch at you."

Maria wanted to be contrary, but not at the price of muscle cramps. She shoved herself to her feet and started to wind down.

"See, you already listen to me so well," Natalia said, voice sickly sweet. "I might be a sadist, but I'd make it feel so g-"

Maria swung her fist at Natalia. Round nine started then and there. Natalia grinned the entire time, and Maria couldn't help but do the same.

* * *

Were surprise attacks really surprising when she was paranoid enough to always expect an attack? Natalia liked to think they weren't. While she was expected Vypra to initiate a battle with her at some point, she wasn't expecting the latest addition to the ranks. Olympius was no longer the tiny baby demon she had seen while under Vypra's control. No, now he was a furious full-grown demon who wanted revenge on her for ruining his mother's plan to regain power.

Natalia had morphed the instant Batlings appeared on the street. They distracted her from the arrival for the two demonic generals well enough that she almost got a sword through her rib cage. But she was still far better than any of them when it came to fighting.

"I will make your death slow and painful!" Olympius charged at her. "Your power will be used to release Queen Bansheera onto this unworthy realm!"

Natalia ducked under the swing of his sword and kicked him into a car. She turned just in time to block Vypra's attack and retaliate. Then she was dodging Olympius again.

Something she refused to call relief eased the tension in her shoulders when Maria and Dana arrived on either side of her. The boys were fighting Vypra, pushing her up the street and away from the group.

"Three human Rangers can't stop me!" Olympius charged again.

Fighting alongside Maria was becoming far too second nature for her liking. Dana had the same military training, so it was easy to adapt to her as well. Natalia did not like this, want this, or encourage this. Comfort wasn't something she could afford if she wanted to live.

Batlings swarmed around her. Dana got tossed into a brick wall. Maria's scream of pain echoed down the street and through the helmet comms. The sound sent a shot of panic through Natalia before she squashed it. People got hurt in battle, that was a fact. There was no need to worry if they were still alive to make noise and curse up a storm.

Natalia leaped over the Batlings and onto a delivery truck before landing between Maria and Olympius. The yellow armor was dented from the force of the blow; shoulder to hip, the shallow indent was making it hard for Maria to breathe. She didn't have time to check on Maria. Putting her back to the Yellow Ranger, Natalia faced the demon prince and wished he could see her anger.

"You cannot save them," Olympius hissed. "All humans were born to die. Only we, immortal demons, will be left standing."

"Well," Natalia said, picking up Maria's V-Lancer, "I was made to be better than human. So let's see who dies first."

She swung the lance faster than he was expecting, knocking his sword out of his hands. He roared, causing fire to spill from his mouth. She sidestepped the flames and rammed the lance into his gut, tossing him down the street and onto his back.

Diabolico appeared in front of her. She blocked his attack, their weapons locked.

"Get out of here, Prince Olympius!"

The demon growled but vanished. Diabolico did so a moment later. Natalia sighed in relief as the Batlings followed, then headed back to Maria. She put the lance in Maria's hand before pressing her shoulder back to the asphalt.

"I'm fine," Maria grumbled.

"Yes, you are, but we're not discussing your looks right now."

Joel snorted over the comms as Dana stumbled over to them. "Do me a favor and don't demorph until we're back at base," the team medic ordered, "I don't know what your armor is holding together."

"What's left of my sanity," Maria muttered.

"I doubt that," Natalia replied. She stood as the boys approached and summoned the Galaxy Glider.

"Are you hurt?" Carter asked of her, knowing Dana and Maria would already need medical treatment.

"No." She jumped onto the arriving Glider and vanished before they could ask any more questions. They didn't know she tailed them until they reached the entrance of the Aquabase. It wasn't that she cared about Maria. She didn't feel at all guilty that Maria and Dana had been hurt because Vypra wanted revenge on her. She just knew it would be the best time for the demons to strike. There was no point in going home if she was only going to be called out again.

Once back in her apartment, Natalia started cooking and ignored every thought she had about the team. They weren't her team. She wasn't welcomed. The sooner this war ended, the better for all of them.


	9. Chapter 9

Maria rapped on the door twice and shifted the pack over her shoulders. The summer day was far too hot to be carrying a heavy weapon against her back. The door swung open, and the first thing she saw was the muzzle of a gun. She sidestepped quickly, tucking herself against the wall next to the door. "What the fuck, Nat?!"

The redhead popped her head out of the door. "Oh, it's you." She vanished from sight.

"Who the fuck else knows where you live?" Maria demanded as she closed the door behind her.

Natalia shrugged. "I can never be sure if the demons will grab one of you and bleed you until you tell them everything."

"I have so many regrets about this," Maria muttered as she dropped the bag on the couch. "May I have a glass of water?"

"You know where the cups are." Natalia sat on the couch and started to open the bag.

Maria rolled her eyes and headed for the small kitchen. She took as much ice from the tray as she could just to piss off Natalia before filling her glass. When she turned around, Natalia had already figured out how to extend the V-Lancer from its compact travel size to full-blown weapon.

"You did well enough with mine that Ms. Fairweather decided you deserved one, too."

Natalia eyed her for a moment, then spun it in her hand, hitting the right button to collapse it again. "Thanks."

Maria shrugged. "You're part of the team-"

"And now you can go."

Maria blinked and stared at Natalia long enough that she went to the door and held it open, motioning Maria out. "Have you ever been to Egypt? There's this river there that I'm sure you could swim in."

"I'm not in denial. We're not teammates."

"Then what the hell are we, Nat?"

"Stop calling me that," she growled. "We're not friends with nicknames for each other, we're not teammates. We are nothing but two people who happen to be working towards the same goal. That's it."

"Then why the _hell_  do you keep saving my life?!"

"You still serve a purpose." She closed the door most of the way but didn't shut it completely. "I have far more in common with Astronema then I will _ever_  have with you. Now get out."

Something in Maria's chest felt like it was being stabbed. She drained the rest of the glass and set it on the counter. "I read you loud and clear." She snagged the backpack off the couch and left. If that's how Natalia wanted to play things, fine.

They were all as good as dead anyway. There was no powerful ancient mage for them to kill and cleanse the galaxy. Six people against an endless horde of demons were never going to win. Natalia had the right idea: keep everyone at arm's length so their inevitable death would mean nothing.

Natalia watched Maria march down down the hall for a handful of seconds before closing the door. She leaned her head against the wood and closed her eyes, sighing. Shoving Maria away shouldn't have hurt, shouldn't be causing her this much...anguish. The mission mattered over any stupid ideas like friendship and teamwork.

Stepping away from the door, Natalia headed for the bedroom and set the lance next to the Glider. At the foot of the bed, she looked over the map recreated from memory. Due to the teleportation magic, she had no clue if there was any other way in or out of the cave system.

If she lived long enough to need an exit route, she'd figure it out then.

For now, she cleared the map away and settled on the bed for a nap. Her plan would take shape under cover of night. This war had to come to an end. Fighting it the way Power Rangers did obviously wasn't working.

Natalia Alianovna Romanova was the best Black Widow, the Red Room's top operative, and the only person to have escaped them and live this long. She was no superhero. What she was, was a spy, assassin, and manipulator.

And it was time to do what she did best.

* * *

Chad fell in step with Maria as she marched down the hall. "I take she liked the Lance since the bag is empty."

Maria nodded once. "Yes."

"Did you ask her about training off base?"

"No." She could see his confused look out of the corner of her eye. "She made it clear she's not a team player."

He was quiet for a minute as Maria continued towards the mess hall. "She might have said that, but her actions are far louder. She's not used to this."

"It's been two months!"

"She's likely lived with her current mindset for years, Maria." His calm, reasonable voice was an infuriating balm. "It's going to take more than two months to reshape her views on teamwork, especially given her introduction to all this."

She wanted to punch him for having a point. "Either way, her answer to team training would've been no. So drop it."

He nodded but didn't leave her side. As much as she wanted to be alone with her thoughts, she knew having Chad around to verbally spar with was the better option. He grabbed some fruit while she grabbed lunch and sat across from her.

When she was done eating, he said, "If you promise not to shove my head through a window, I'll spar with you."

"What about a wall?"

He grinned just a little. "No breaking my face. I kinda need to watch your back."

She rolled her eyes. "I guess."

Sparring felt good, and eventually, the rest of the team joined them. Hours later, while they were finishing up dinner, the alarm of a demon attack rang through the base. Carter led the way to the Ops, where Colonel Mitchell was frowning at the bank of screens.

"Where's the attack, sir?"

"That's just the thing. There is none."

"Is it possible for us to have false alarms?" Joel asked.

Maria felt something in her gut twist. She hit the communication button on her morpher. "Natalia, we've got a situation."

A strange two-tone beeping was her only reply. She frowned and tapped the button again. Nothing but that two-tone beep, this time with an underlay of static.

"Dana, Maria, go check the apartment," Carter ordered. "Demons tripped a sensor near the business district, so the rest of us will check that out."

The team nodded and headed out. Maria had a feeling, a horrible feeling, that this was all according to plan.

* * *

Ten Minutes Earlier

Natalia sighed as she made sure the man was dead. Killing people used to bring her a kind of thrill. Maybe it was because it was all too easy to track and kill her prey this time. Stepping back, she held the dripping dagger away from her. She had to admire her artwork. The spider web pattern around the body was sure to be a talking point for weeks.

"Now that is inspired."

Natalia was expecting Vypra and turned around casually. The small corner of her mind that was nervous was hushed. This would work, or it wouldn't.

"You meant to draw me here," Vypra said, "but there's only you. If this is a trap, it's a poor one."

"No trap." Natalia offered the dagger to the demon. "I have a deal to make."

Vypra took the dagger and licked the blood off one side. "Mmm, so much pain and terror. I'm listening."

"You and everyone else keep your claws out of my brain, and I'll kill whoever you want."

Vypra's eyes narrowed. "Why the change of heart?"

She shrugged. "I like the odds of the demon army over the five people trying to fight back."

Vypra considered her words, taking small licks from the dagger. "I agree with this. When we succeed in opening the gate to the Shadow World, I'll allow a handful of humans to be spared, should you want companionship."

"There's no one who deserves to be spared."

Which was precisely what Vypra wanted to hear. Two moments later, they were back in Skull Cavern. Natalia kept her cool and settled into her role. Now, all she had to do was wait.

* * *

Maria tugged the chain with her dog tags out from under her shirt and yanked it over her head. The key that dangled with the tags still slid into the lock perfectly. She was a little surprised, having expected Natalia to change the locks. Dropping the chain back around her neck, she knocked one last time before opening the door.

The apartment wasn't disturbed. The glass she had left on the counter was still there. The bedroom was empty. She opened the door to the balcony and saw the Galaxy Glider leaning against the rail. The V-Lance was on the dresser.

"I don't see anything out of place," Dana reported.

"Me, neither." Maria looked down at the small desk and frowned. "Hey, you know Russian?"

"Enough to get me into trouble, why?" Dana joined her and examined the notes. "This is gibberish. Russian letters, but the words make no sense." She spread the notes out. "Well, that's bad."

The map was rudimentary, but Maria cursed.

"Fuck you, you fucking manipulative _bitch_ -"

"Use your fancier words," Dana ordered.

"I'm such a God damn idiot-" Maria couldn't believe she fell for Natalia's little speech.

"That's a given, you're in the military."

Maria glared. "That's a map of Skull Cavern. Little Miss "We Aren't Friends" left her Glider outside so she could summon it without breaking a wall."

Dana's eyes went wide. "The demon alarm. She got their attention and went with them."

Maria headed for the door. "She said she had more in common with Astronema than with us." Out in the hall, she lowered her voice to hiss at Dana. "Karone told us Astronema arranged for Dark Specter to be killed so she could take over as Empress."

"She's going to betray them."

"And that damn Glider is her only way out."

They ran for their Lightspeed Cycles. They had to catch up with the guys. Then they had to find a way to sneak into Skull Cavern and save a self-sacrificing idiot.


	10. Chapter 10

Natalia was suspicious as to why Diabolico was quick to trust Vypra's judgment. Then she met Olympius outside of battle. The little prince was a giant asshole. Diabolico probably figured if Natalia were here to betray them, she'd go after the most annoying of them first. Because Olympius definitely didn't trust her and was as vocal as could be about it.

"Even I, in this spectral form, can feel the darkness in her," Queen Bansheera said. "The human will stay for as long as she is of use."

Natalia got her old room back, this time with a pillow of unknown origin. It didn't look like human flesh, at least. Vypra would supervise any trips to the city for sustenance and basic needs. Natalia hoped she wouldn't need those trips.

Damn it. She was hoping again. She had to stop that. It had no place in her plans.

Natalia held her head high as she wandered around the caves. As long as she didn't sneak, none of the Batlings would suspect her of anything. She found the small arena; the battle against Maria felt so long ago. So much had happened in the two months since she was mind controlled.

Shaking off the memories, she continued on her way. The tomb that served as the gate to the Shadow World was in a larger room. The dark magic was heavy enough to weigh her down. She left and soon found herself looking out a circular hole in the wall.

She was a good five stories up, and definitely not on Earth. The land was barren beyond the stone building, with mountains in the distance and nothing but clouds overhead. She swallowed down the bile bubbling up her throat.

There was no way the Galaxy Glider would find her here.

So be it.

"This is the fate of your world," Vypra said as she leaned against the side of the window. "Desolate darkness, and overrun by demons."

Natalia shrugged. "If humanity can't stop you, do they deserve being allowed to live?"

Vypra tilted her head. "Diabolico thinks you will betray us, despite what our Queen sees in the depths of your soul. I would expect the Rangers to act so foolishly, but I've yet to smell fear from you."

"The Rangers," she spat the word as the aliens had said "Earth" like it was the worst of curses, "want me to be a hero. I'm an assassin, I kill for the highest bidder, and I have no desire to live by their moral code." She sent Vypra a wry look. "I know I won't live long after the demons are released, but at least that venture is a successful one."

"And if the Rangers manage to gain the upper hand? They won't forgive you."

"They were never going to."

Vypra considered her for a long moment. "All Hallows dawns in the next few hours. Humanity has given this particular time a lot of power by believing the veil between worlds is thinnest. It will be enough to bring Queen Bansheera back to her physical form."

Natalia raised an eyebrow. "You aren't going to need a human sacrifice, are you?"

Vypra laughed. The sound sent a shiver up Natalia's spine. "We will, but it won't be you."

"Not yet, anyway."

She nodded once. "Not yet. Jinxer can give you the illusion of grave injury. If we leave you be able to lure a Ranger to our ancient site of summoning?"

Natalia didn't hesitate. "I can. Will there be another monster around as a distraction? That will ensure only one Ranger comes to me, instead of the whole team."

"Yes, we will make sure there will be no interruptions."

Vypra led the way to the main hall. Natalia wondered if Maria would forgive her this betrayal.

* * *

Maria stood at the edge of the crime scene, arms crossed. Her teammates were staggered along the yellow tape, gathering what intel they could by eavesdropping. The Aquabase was tapped into the police department radios as well.

A body in the vicinity of the tripped demon sensor was never a good sign. It would be the first person the demons had killed. Maria doubted it was a demon; the whole team didn't want to contemplate that a human could do this, but they agreed that this wasn't the work of the demons. There was no gloating monster, no threat of another attack. Just a simple spider's web made of blood around the body.

Maria's gut twisted. Natalia would've needed to attract attention and convince the demons to take her back to Skull Cavern. From the murmurs of the people around her, the dead man wouldn't be a missed one. He had been buying his way out of trouble for years. Not even the cops seemed too concerned about doing a thorough job. Still, Maria knew a violent murder and a lone Ranger would be enough to draw out Vypra and Diabolico.

Carter stepped away from the scene. One by one, they left, taking meandering routes back to their cycles. They headed back to base, not speaking. Maria was grateful for the minimal nightshift crew; she didn't think she could handle too many people with the way her thoughts were racing.

In the conference room, the Colonel looked tired. They took their seats and gave a report on what they learned at the crime scene.

"Any word from the Titanium Ranger?" the Colonel asked of Maria.

"No, sir, still radio silent." She would keep silent her theory of how Natalia would need to get the demons' attention. "I've activated the beacon for the Astro Rangers, but it could be a while before they're able to assist us."

He nodded. "In that case, get some rest."

Dana frowned. "We're not going after Natalia?"

"I'm not sending any of you into the heart of the enemy's territory for someone who went there voluntarily."

"Then think about it as us going after the Titanium Morpher," Carter said, surprising Maria. He wasn't Natalia's biggest fan, even if he kept it to himself. Mostly he just disliked how she refused to work with them outside of battles. "The demons will kill her. We can't leave the morpher in their hands."

Colonel Mitchell considered them all for a moment. "I suppose I can't stop any of you? Then good luck."

Maria wanted to feel relieved, but instead, she felt apprehension. They were going down into the belly of the beast. She hoped they found what they were looking for.


	11. Chapter 11

It took preparation before anyone could go into the demonic realm hidden beneath the city. It took far too much preparation, in Maria's opinion. But without half a dozen contingency plans, there was a chance they would never leave Skull Cavern alive.

Not to mention it wasn't exactly easy to find a way in. It if were, they would've destroyed the place years ago. It was only recently, with the demons teleporting to and form Skull Cavern, that small rips began to appear in the walls between Mariner Bay and the demonic realm.

Seriously, when did this become her life?

Maria and Chad would be going down. The other three would remain on base in case any demons attacked. Maria would rather have Dana at her back, but there was no way Colonel Mitchell was going to let his daughter go to what was essentially the underworld. Chad, at least, was competent and would keep his mouth shut about whatever he learned of Natalia. Joel would inevitably spill the beans, and Carter could be pressured under the guise of the greater good.

The alarms went off as she and Chad climbed into the Mobile Armor Vehicle. Chad gave her a look. She glared at him. "The plan always meant they would handle it without us."

"We can't leave the city vulnerable for one person."

"I would normally tell you to continue with your mission," the Colonel said as he looked up from a computer screen, "but it's Diabolico and Lokai."

Maria fisted her hands and hopped off the MAV. "Let's go." One monster and a demon general, the team could handle. Two of the top demons, not so much.

Chad fell in step with her to join the others. They hadn't reached the door before Maria's morpher beeped.

"Maria." The voice was weak, thready, and faint.

She stopped and instantly replied. "Natalia? Where are you?"

"Cannery. South side of the bay."

Maria looked at the Colonel. "Sir, permission-"

"Granted. Go get her, then join the team."

Chad jogged out of the room and Maria leaped into the MAV. "On my way, Nat."

"Before I bleed out, please."

Maria would've rolled her eyes if Natalia hadn't sounded so honestly scared. She flew out of the base, shooting down the transit tunnel. The doors at the surface were barely open in time for her to fly through. Cutting across the bay by air meant she was at the old fish cannery in no time.

Maria told her team she had arrived as she stepped through the rotted double doors of the loading bay. She spotted Natalia a few yards away, laying in a pile of rubble. Maria sprinted forward and knelt beside her.

"What the fuck did they do to you?"

Maria thought Natalia's eyes closed in relief. She realized a moment later, it was in resignation.

Two swords appeared on either side of her neck. All of Natalia's injuries disappeared. Maria realized the trap when Natalia pushed herself up and went to stand next to Vypra.

"Perhaps the human will serve a purpose after all," Olympius said from behind Maria. "No need to stand, Ranger, you can be sacrificed on your knees."

Torches were lit around them in a circle, and a seven-foot demon stepped forward. The skull on his staff had glowing red eyes, and he was covered in archaic symbols. Batlings placed an urn on the pile of rubble Natalia had been lying in, and a blue fire was lit beneath it.

"On this day," the demon said, "when the walls between worlds are thinnest, we shall bring Queen Bansheera into the world!"

Halloween. Maria had nearly forgotten in her desperation to save the woman who she thought was her teammate. She glared at Natalia from across the urn. Cold green eyes looked back. Maria wanted to shiver; there was nothing there. Vypra had more life in her eyes than Natalia did.

The demon started to chant. Blood red light began to swirl in the urn.

"This is now a human world," the demon sorcerer said, his disgust evident. "A human must willingly give blood to our Queen."

Natalia took a dagger made of bone from Vypra and sliced a thin line midway up her arm. The handful of drops caused the red light to rocket into a column of fire that tore a hole in the roof of the building. Black clouds began to gather in the sky.

"I am almost free!" the Queen's voice made Maria's blood run cold.

Olympius' excitement caused his swords to dig into Maria's neck. The small gouge dripped blood into the collar of the jacket. The demon chanted while Natalia made her way over to Maria. The slice in her arm was already dried and crusted over.

"A human must sacrifice another to our Queen."

"They won't let you live for long," Maria told Natalia.

She shrugged. "I'll live longer than you." Her voice was void of all emotion. She grabbed Maria's wrist, twisting her morpher against her skin. Natalia hauled, yanking her to her feet and spinning her around, so Maria's back was against the urn.

The blood from her neck wound splashed into the urn.

The red light turned black.

Natalia's eyes went wide. "Oops."

Maria glared. "Oops?!"

A moment later, Maria was morphed, and her V-Lance was in her hands; Natalia had gripped her wrist with the morpher on purpose. Natalia kicked over the urn, shattering it. Maria fired her V-Lance at Olympius. She was back to back with the Titanium Ranger a moment later.

Vypra screeched and flew at them. The sorcerer demon yelled incoherently before Maria shot him through a wall. Natalia blasted Vypra point blank with her V-Lance.

"Run," Natalia ordered, grabbing Maria's shoulder and shoving her toward the door.

"What kind of stupid, insane plan was this?!" Maria demanded as they fired back over their shoulders.

"This actually wasn't part of the plan. I meant for them to meet unfortunate accidents one at a time."

"You almost brought Queen Bansheera back to Earth!!"

"It's not my fault your body is shit at clotting!"

"You are letting the team spar with you for this bullshittery!"

Maria jumped into the pilot seat of the MAV and Natalia crouched on the small space behind her, holding onto the headrest. Maria opened fire on the demons running out of the building. Vypra and Olympius vanished.

The sorcerer grew into a giant.

"I need to get back to the others," Maria said, turning the MAV around and flying towards where the Zords were gathering. "You meet us back at base, or so help me, if I have to hunt you down-"

"I'll be there."

Maria summoned her own Zord and was soon leaping into the Megazord.

* * *

 

Natalia took her Galaxy Glider to the crime scene while the others fought off giant monsters. The alley was cleaned up, the body was gone, though the police tape remained. She drifted lower, using the Glider's cloaking field to her advantage. There was a news crew doing a morning report despite the Ranger battle. A man with far too many camera peripherals was taking pictures. She easily spotted the disguised federal agent people watching for a suspect to return to the scene of the crime.

As if Natalia were so foolish.

But the agent did mean the Auqabase would probably be informed of the infamous Black Widow. The moment Maria saw the file and photograph, Natalia would be on the hit list of the two battling superpowers of the city. She had no intentions of trying to dodge demons, Rangers, law enforcement, and the Red Room.

She would meet the team at the entrance of the base. She would hand over the morpher and tell them she was done. They would throw a shit fit, but Natalia didn't really care. They could find another Ranger. Her life was the only one she had.

As Natalia headed back to the base, she wondered why she felt disappointed. Her plan failed. Yeah. That was it.

She wasn't sad to be leaving any of this behind.

She wasn't.


	12. Chapter 12

Maria and Dana arrived at the city entrance to the Aquabase only a few minutes after the battle was over. Natalia was leaning against the wall, under a hood and hat, in the one spot the security cameras couldn't get a clear view.

"Are you injured?" Dana asked, ever the doctor.

"Just my pride," Natalia quipped. "Today did not go the way it was supposed to."

"Expecting any kind of human-made plan to work against demons was kind of your first mistake." Dana was apologetic as she said it, and Maria wondered how she pulled that off.

Natalia had a calculating look in her eyes that Maria was quick to interrupt. "What was the plan, anyway?"

"I told you: have them all die of unfortunate accidents. I needed a bit more time to learn about their weaknesses and set things up."

"You could've told us that. We thought the demons had taken you hostage."

Natalia shrugged. "I could've told you a lot of things." She shook her head. "I only met you here so I could give this back."

Maria looked at the offered morpher. "We talked about this. You're the only one-"

"No, I'm not."

"Actually," Dana said, carefully, "You are. The morpher has been sending data to us." And, oh, Natalia didn't like that. "Nothing like your location or conversations, just biological readings to make sure the morpher is actually regulating how much energy you're getting from the Grid. No one in our database can handle the higher power levels the Titanium morpher was designed to conduct."

Maria could see Natalia wanted to argue the point, wanted to just drop the morpher and walk away. "If you really wanted to leave, you wouldn't have met us here."

Her grip on the morpher tightened. Suddenly, she dropped her hand and leaned back against the wall. "The man in the alley was me."

The confirmation made Maria's gut twist, but at least she didn't outwardly react like Dana. "Figured that's how you got the demons to take you back without question."

Dana was looked at her now, but Maria didn't have the time to deal with her. Natalia was the one that needed the push to stay.

"That little web is how I sign my work. The next briefing you have is going to involve a file with my name on it, along with a list of every country that wants me dead." She held up the morpher. "You won't want me keeping this."

"The point still stands," Dana said, surprising Maria. "If you really wanted out, why are you still here?"

Natalia took the question as a dare. She shoved the morpher into Maria's chest and let go, moving to get past them. Maria grabbed it before pushing Natalia back into the wall. Their positions reversed for a moment before Dana stepped in and helped put Natalia back against the concrete wall.

"Here's the deal," Maria said, carefully using the extra bit of strength granted to her by the Grid. "I don't care what you've done in your past. You aren't the only one involved with Light Speed that's killed a bunch of people. The mission is all that matters. Winning this war is all that matters. If you want out, fine, get out. But for all your fucking posturing about not being a hero, you sure have been saving a lot of lives."

"That web didn't get just the demons' attention. This city is now crawling with people who want me dead." Her cool was slipping ever so slightly. "They won't care about this war or the mission."

Dana took the morpher and held it up. "And this is the last person they'll suspect. I might care a bit more than Maria about you're past, but I want you in this armor more than I want you in cuffs or a body bag."

"And on the very slim chance the six of us win against a hoard of millennia-old demons? What happens when I'm no longer useful?"

Maria scoffed. "As if you wouldn't use the chaos to get out of town before someone starts asking you questions."

The corners of Natalia's mouth tilted up as if Maria was right.

"And it's more than just the six of us," Dana said. "There's an entire base behind you constantly learning and adapting. The demons only know how to destroy. They continue to use the same tactics after every failure. We are going to win. There is no other option."

Sometimes, given Dana's kinder, friendlier nature, Maria forgot they had the same military training. Even on the battlefield, Dana wasn't nearly as obvious as Maria herself. But Maria never thought it would be Dana who would fall behind first.

Maria stepped back from Natalia. "Look me in the eye, right now, and tell me you don't want to be a Power Ranger anymore."

Natalia locked eyes with her. There was so much churning in her just under the surface that her casual, nonchalant mask could barely hide it all. Maria knew what it felt like to want out before things got worse. She knew what it was like to not feel worthy.

"I don't want to be a Power Ranger anymore."

Something in Maria's chest shattered.

Natalia pushed through them. She grabbed a helmet off a motorcycle waiting off to the side and was gone, speeding down the street. Maria watched her vanish and wondered why it felt like the world was ending.

* * *

Two hours later, Natalia would have to redefine the meaning of "safe house." It was obvious it didn't mean what she thought it should mean. The Los Angeles loft shouldn't have been so easily found and invaded by the only Red Room operative that could outdo her.

The Winter Soldier sat at the kitchen table, gun under his hand where it lay on the wood. He seemed almost relaxed. She knew better.

Natalia raised an eyebrow at him as she carried the take-out to the counter. "If you have no plans on killing me, it's better if you leave. I'm not leaving this room under anything but my own free will."

He tilted his head, studying her. "What free will do you believe you have?"

She tossed a slippery mushroom at his face. He picked it off his cheek and popped it in his mouth. She started opening boxes. "Were they hoping I would fear you and come willingly? Did they think I'd follow you, of all people, back in their iron grasp?"

"I'm to kill you."

She nodded, accepting the answer. "But?"

"They want to know what has made you so sloppy."

Natalia snorted and dropped a small box of fried rice in front of him before settling in the opposite chair. "A city full of demons doesn't behave in any way I was ever trained for."

His metal fingers handled the chopsticks with familiar care and dexterity. "That's no excuse after you've left the city." His flesh hand remained on the gun.

She shrugged. "It's been a long two days. Even longer two months. Maybe I'm not as good as either of us think I should be."

She was very good at what she did. Staying out of sight, killing, and being hyper-aware of her surroundings; those were only a fraction of her near perfect skills. Bringing them into play against creatures that didn't think in any human ways was where she had failed. As much evil as she had done, she wasn't a demonic monster hellbent on taking over the world.

He swallowed the bite of food. "It wouldn't have taken you two months two kill that man, and you would've traveled further than this to escape being caught." He scooped up another bite and held it for a moment. "I ask again, what has made you so sloppy?"

She waited for him to eat again to ensure he was done speaking. As free as they could be with each other, she knew better than to interrupt him. "I learned there are far worse situations than the ones that made us. It was disconcerting. I thought I wasn't as affected by those events. But maybe I've been compromised."

He ate two more bites before saying, "You left us. You planned it. You've been compromised for years, Natalia."

She smiled just a little. "Not as much as you think."

His pupils blew out as the poison hit his brain. He grew paler, and while his fingers twitched over the gun, he lacked the control to pick it up or throw the chopsticks at her.

"I am never sloppy," she said as she closed up her cardboard container. "The fact that you were able to trail me should've been your first warning."

His hand fisted. One finger pointed at her. Natalia didn't look; she dived as the kitchen window shattered. The sniper round buried itself into the cabinet. The low thump-thump-thump of helicopter blades made her stomach sink.

The back wall of the loft was disintegrated by a hail of bullets.

The Red Room really, really wanted her dead. She could feel debris digging into her skin. The front door was kicked open, and she rolled away from the grenade tossed inside. The floor gave way as it exploded. She landed on someone's glass coffee table; the shards pierced into her so very easily.

Moving would probably kill her. Staying still would definitely kill her. A kid was crying somewhere. She frowned a little when she heard gunshots. She doubted it would take more than one bullet to the head if they believed the Winter Soldier had betrayed them.

She moved to brace her hand. Or, she tried to. Pain lanced through her shoulder and into her neck. But not into her arm.

Boots were rushing into the room.

The man that hovered over her was definitely not Red Room.

"We'll get you out of here, Ranger Romanova."

Pain and blood loss fueled her confusion. Ranger? Who...

Cold metal was placed on her wrist. The world got a hint darker and quieter. The pain didn't recede entirely, but it became easier to breathe.

"We'll be at the Aquabase in no time at all," the soldier said. "Just hold on."

The past two days caught up to Natalia. She closed her eyes and let the exhaustion take her. She could always fight her way out of wherever she ended up next.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Maria's posture didn't falter while Colonel Mitchell made an attempt to stare her down. She had locked eyes with creatures who actually wanted her dead. Sure, he could end her career, toss her into prison, and make sure she never saw the light of another day. But he wasn't going to kill her.

"Were you, at any point during this operation, going to tell me the Titanium armor was worn by the Black Widow?"

And, well, she had already committed treason by not telling him when they first looked at the files. "No, sir."

He nodded as if he expected as much. "For any reason in particular?"

"The Black Widow is more useful in the armor than in a body bag."

"Under normal circumstances, the consequences for your actions would be severe. Fortunately for us both, I have bigger worries." He leaned back in his chair. "Half an hour ago, Miss Romanova was attacked in Los Angeles."

Maria frowned just a little. "It couldn't have been the demons, they can't leave the city limits." It was one of the few saving graces; the demons were bound to their burial ground.

"Many, many organizations would like to see the Black Widow under their control or dead. Given her now intimate knowledge of Light Speed, I had a team follow her to be sure she wouldn't sell information to the highest bidder."

Maria didn't think Natalia would do that. As much as being a Ranger disagreed with Natalia, she hadn't wanted the demons to win, either. Compromising Light Speed was too much of a risk.

"Her injuries are severe," Mitchell said. "The Titanium armor is probably the only thing keeping her alive."

Maria's eyes widened.

"She's been transported back here. She'll be in the main operating room." He stood and closed Natalia's file. "Major Hill, this is the only instance of treason I will forgive, understood?"

She nodded once. "Yes, sir."

"Dismissed."

She was out the door before he finished speaking the word. As much as she hated Nat for walking away from the fight, Maria didn't want her dead.

* * *

Natalia smelled the antiseptic of a hospital first. Then came the beeping of various monitors, and the feel of stiff but warm sheets. The attack on her loft was fresh in her mind. Someone had pulled her out.

She cracked an eye open when she heard the turning of a page. Maria sat next to her, book in hand. She didn't look tired, but there was a rough patch of road rash on her jaw that hadn't been there when Natalia last saw her. Which probably wasn't all that long.

"You don't strike me as the bedside type."

Maria snapped her book shut. "I'm just making sure you don't pop up and kill some unsuspecting nurse." She stood, grabbing a water bottle off the bedside table. "The Titanium armor kept you alive, and you need to wear the morpher to allow the Grid to heal you properly. You were in surgery for three hours. It'll be weeks of physical therapy if you don't leave A.M.A."

Natalia frowned. Maria wasn't looking at her, and this was the most professional she had ever seen her. Natalia took the clipboard of her medical records with her good hand; the other was bandaged up. The lack of cuffs took her by surprise, not that she let it show.

"I'll send in Doctor Fraiser. You're free to leave whenever you want, so try not to sneak out and put the base in lockdown."

Then she was gone. Natalia didn't even get to ask _how_  Light Speed had been close enough to help her. Maria was likely being smart in thinking Natalia wouldn't stick around. And since she wasn't of use, Maria didn't care.

Natalia attributed the discomfort in her chest to the pain of being blasted through a floor and into a glass coffee table. She read through her file and winced. She had been kinda lucky. The glass had missed all her vital areas; the reason her arm hadn't hurt while her shoulder did when she moved it was due to her arm almost being shredding off. Her stomach twisted. The Red Room had nearly succeeded.

Doctor Fraiser was a small woman with sharp eyes. "Any questions?" she asked, taking the seat Maria had vacated.

"Why did Light Speed pull me out?"

If it wasn't the question she was expecting, she didn't show it. "You were being monitored to prevent any unauthorized release of information concerning this operation."

Reasonable enough. "I don't think anyone would've believed me. But that doesn't tell me why I was brought back here."

Fraiser motioned to the morpher. "You may not have wanted to fight, but you did. Even if you leave after you heal, we owe you this much."

Natalia hid her confusion. She had been sure she would owe them a favor, not the other way around.

The exam was quick if not entirely painless. The doctor asked after Natalia's drug resistance since she had woken up twice on the table. As much as she didn't want to give away the information, the government already had her bedridden. It wouldn't take much to just experiment on her. She told the doctor the truth and soon had a tray of food in front of her.

Dana came in while she finished up her meal. "I figured you were awake since I saw Maria somewhere other than here or in her armor."

Natalia raised an eyebrow. "She wasn't happy to be here."

"As pissed as she is about you leaving, no one here wants you dead." Dana tilted her head. "Not that many people know who, exactly, you are."

"Can't have the troops knowing an assassin was on the team?"

"Can't have people below a certain clearance level know things that are frankly none of their business. Only Rangers and command crew have seen the file."

That struck her as odd. "You realize I'm on a kill list for a reason, right? You should at least tell everyone not to trust me."

Dana rolled her eyes. "Nat, you're not going to be doing much of anything for at least a week. Even after that, you _might_  be able to squeeze a trigger, but you won't be able to aim."

Natalia pouted because Dana wasn't wrong. Even her own accelerated healing was going to need some time to recover from breaking her pelvis and two ribs, along with the various deep glass wounds and bruising. The morpher would help speed things along, but she had been warned against pulling stitches by exercising even the slightest bit.

"Rest, Natalia. Plan what you'll do when you get out." Dana wrote something down on a piece of paper. "These are the extensions to reach my room and office. Maria is in a mood, but call me if you need anything."

She took the tray of empty dishes out with her. Natalia settled back and closed her eyes. She didn't want to be here, but at least Light Speed would let her live.


	14. Chapter 14

Over the next two weeks, Maria avoided medical unless it was absolutely necessary for her to be there. After battles, she got patched up and hit the mess hall for food. She didn't check on Natalia and didn't ask after her. Natalia didn't matter. Only the mission mattered.

The boys had taken to asking Dana for updates on Natalia during meals. Dana had too big a heart in Maria's opinion. Natalia would use Light Speed for the resources and then leave. Hopefully, she wouldn't get herself half killed again, if only to keep the Light Speed soldiers safe.

"I think I'm going to try using the Titanium morpher," Carter told her after a late night work-out.

Maria wiped her face of sweat and started stretching. "What makes you think it'll work?"

"The morpher is stronger than ours, but no one else could handle it. Maybe, since we've been exposed to the energy, making the jump to the next level won't be as hard."

"Makes sense. Do you think the Colonel's gonna go for it?"

"I think he's willing to risk it with Bansheera back."

That was something that no one had told Natalia about, as far as Maria knew. Bansheera had made the briefest of appearances the previous day. Something about the Queen had set Lokai and Diabolico on edge, although Olympius was ecstatic. Maria had been worried about Vypra plotting something in the shadows while everyone was out in the open.

"Well, if you can't do it," Maria said, "I get a turn."

Carter huffed out a laugh. "You know what? Deal."

They shook on it, and Maria hoped one of them could make use of the morpher before too long. They may all need stronger powers now that Bansheera was back.

* * *

The next day, the team stood behind Doctor Fairweather as she monitored Carter's vitals. He replaced his Red morpher with the Titanium one. Maria purposely leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms. She wasn't tense. She didn't doubt his ability at all.

He morphed. The armor held.

Then he collapsed.

Maria sighed quietly as Chad and Dana rushed to help Carter up. The armor was gone, and Carter looked like he wanted to die.

"We can't try that again today," Fairweather said. "You run the risk of overloading your cells."

"I don't want to know what happens to a person whose cells are overloaded, do I?" Joel asked.

"You essentially become an energy bomb," Dana said as they got Carter seated. "Unregulated Morphing Grid energy would rip this base apart."

Carter took off the morpher and placed on the console. "I know our morphers can't handle more power. Could this one be dialed down?"

Fairweather frowned, then started typing. "We should be able to decrease the amount of power running through the morpher. We can then slowly increase it until it's back at full capacity."

Cater looked at Maria. "Are you up for it?"

She raised an eyebrow. "It was your idea."

"Yeah, but I can't touch it for the next few days. We agreed last night that'd you get a shot."

Maria snagged the morpher and replaced her Yellow one with it. She moved into the testing range while Fairweather recalibrated the device. Dana joined her, concern in her eyes.

"Please tell me you're not doing this to prove a point," she said quietly.

"I'm doing it because one of us has to."

"And this has nothing to do-"

Maria glared at her. "No. We need more power now that Bansheera's back. That's all there is to it."

Dana sighed and retreated.

"Are you ready, Major?" Fairweather asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Maria initiated the morph.

It burned. Her bones were on fire. She breathed through the pain and focused on the armor, focused on her team. They needed her; the whole world needed her to get this right. She couldn't hear anything for a moment.

"Holy shit."

"Eloquent as always, Joel," Maria said. She was proud of her steady voice. Looking down, she grinned. The Titanium armor was holding.

The alarms went off.

"Is she stable?" Mitchell asked of the doctor.

Fairweather checked her readings. "Energy levels are holding."

"Well, then, Major Hill, it looks like you're the new Titanium Ranger."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Over the last two weeks, Natalia had learned to ignore the alarms that meant a demon attack. It wasn't something she had to concern herself with, after all. She focused on the minor physical therapy that she was allowed to do. As much as her body had healed, Doctor Fraiser wanted Natalia to take her time.

It was weird for her to be unafraid of a doctor, especially a government one. Fraiser expected her rules to be followed to the letter and by the spirit, but she didn't coddle her patients, either. Fraiser expected Natalia to make progress in healing and physical therapy. She merely wanted that progress to be careful and steady.

As part of the command crew, Fraiser had access to Natalia's file. Yet her past was never brought up outside of medical necessity, and it was never implied that Natalia should hurry up and go away. Natalia knew these people weren't stupid, but she had no other explanation for their treatment of her.

"Clear the hall!" Dana's voice made Natalia move before thinking.

Pressed against the wall next to the physical therapist, Natalia saw the Rangers trailing after a medical team around a gurney. She had never felt her heart skip a beat until the moment she didn't see Maria standing among the group. Doctor Fairweather was suddenly in front of her, determination in her eyes.

"Natalia, I need you to put this on to cut the energy flow from Major Hill."

She took the Titanium morpher, and they started to follow the team at her slower pace. "What happens to her when the energy flow stops?"

"We can put the Yellow morpher back on her, but right now the Morphing Grid is channeling more energy than her cells can handle."

Natalia slipped the cuff around her wrist and took a deep breath as pure energy zipped through her bones. She wasn't tired from the day's physical therapy, but now she felt like she could run to catch up to the team. "What happened?"

"Carter wanted to test the Titanium morpher under the assumption that someone already exposed to the Grid could handle a higher level of power. When that failed, Maria tested the morpher at half power. The armor held and they went into battle."

"What went wrong?"

"Bansheera made an appearance thinking the person in the Titanium armor was you. Maria needed more power."

Natalia frowned. "Bansheera's back? But we stopped the summoning."

"Something must have happened between then and now. Vypra hasn't been seen since Bansheera appeared, so we believe there might have been some kind of exchange."

Natalia didn't think Vypra was the kind to sacrifice herself for the success of even the Queen. "More power for Maria ended up being too much power?"

Fairweather nodded. "The Morphing Grid will de-morph a Ranger close to overload, but if the Ranger pushes for a connection, they run the risk of becoming an energy bomb."

The weight of the morpher felt far more substantial than a moment before. They reached medical, where Dana and another scientist were watching readouts. Dana was poised to tug the Yellow morpher off of Maria, but from what Natalia could tell, the energy readouts were stabilizing.

Chad absently helped her sit back on her bed, his focus more on Maria. "You feel okay with it back on?"

Natalia nodded. "I don't feel any different."

He was relieved. As soon as Dana and Fairweather declared Maria stable, the team left to debrief. Natalia got more comfortable on her bed when her lunch was brought to her. She was still on a controlled diet, but there was more food on the tray now that she was wearing the morpher again. Even if she weren't actively fighting, her metabolism would jump.

Maria roused half an hour later. "Ow."

Natalia shook her head. "That's what hubris feels like."

Maria flipped her off. "That's what almost exploding feels like. Asshole."

"Your insults need work."

"Your mouth needs shutting."

Natalia tossed the cup of yellow Jello onto Maria's stomach. "If you want a spoon, you're going to have to deal with my germs."

Maria pushed herself up and held out her hand for the spoon. When she grabbed it, she saw the Titanium morpher was no longer her's.

Natalia smirked. "You might be very good at your job. But you're not as good as I am."

"I hate you so much."

"Can't hate me unless you're paying attention to me."

She ripped open the Jello cup and dug in. "After I'm done with this, I'm using this spoon to scoop out your eyeballs."

Natalia raised her little plastic fork. "Bring it on." She didn't know why, but even if all Maria did was insult and threaten her, Natalia felt relief for the first time in weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the show, Bansheera's resurrection was interrupted and she came back half-formed. She consumed Vypra to complete the transition.


	15. Chapter 15

It only took two days of resting before Maria was out of Medical. For some ungodly reason, she found herself spending at least a little time every day with Natalia. For all Maria had been pissed at the assassin, two days of bickering seemed to have settled her ruffled feathers.

It was during those two days Maria learned Natalia hadn't really indulged in the variety of candy available to normal humans. Maria had said nothing of going without candy most of her childhood, or how her first paycheck from the military had been spent on every bulk candy available at Costco. Instead, she made a trip out into the city for candy and proceeded to annoy Fraiser by giving Natalia "far too much sugar."

It wasn't Maria's fault the king-sized bars were on sale.

Natalia was cleared to leave medical after her third week. Being actively connected to the Morphing Grid, as well as her own natural healing, had sped up Natalia's mending process. Fraiser still wanted her to remain on-base until she was sure Natalia was back to full force. Which meant there was a bored assassin roaming the halls.

Maria and her team took it upon themselves (A.K.A. Colonel Mitchell told them to reign in their teammate) to keep Natalia busy so she stopped surprising people by being deathly quiet as she watched them. Maria was of the mind some people just needed to learn better situational awareness. The colonel disagreed, stating that their enemies were rarely stalkers and people would damn well know when Diabolico or Batlings were around.

"How did you get stuck sparring with me?" Natalia asked as they stretched out beside the mats.

Maria huffed. "I'm apparently the most violent one with no extra-curricular activities." Joel was teaching Natalia how to pilot various small planes, Chad took her scuba diving with his mermaid friends, Dana was letting Natalia look into her research of how the Morphing Grid changed people, and Carter was using Natalia to troll his firehouse.

Maria was still suspicious as to why Natalia agreed to any of this. Then again, the attempt to kill Natalia would've been successful if Light Speed hadn't been on her tail.

Natalia smirked at her. "Or is it because you're a masochist?"

"You know what, Romanova-" Maria shoved her onto the mats. "Let's see who the real sadist is." She didn't wait for any cue that Natalia was ready. She launched into an attack that would've had Diabolico cursing her.

Natalia met her block for blow, and soon Maria on was the defensive. That changed, too. When Maria found herself flat on the mats, Natalia stood beside her and offered a hand up.

"You drop your elbow before you kick." Natalia showed her how, when Maria twisted her torso, her elbow led the way.

They sparred once more, Natalia pointing out all the small things that most people wouldn't catch. Maria was good, but she could be better. All it would take was for someone like Natalia to notice Maria's tells and take advantage.

"Okay, how the fuck did you do that?" Maria demanded after a particular throw.

Natalia helped her back up and proceeded to show her how to get out of the hold Maria had her in before tossing her. For all Natalia was a self-proclaimed lone wolf, she was good at teaching. Sure, half the instructions came with an insult, but Maria expected nothing less.

An hour later, Maria didn't really fight the pin Natalia put her in. She was wearing down after constant sparring. Natalia was almost at 100%, but probably shouldn't push herself, either.

Natalia raised an eyebrow when Maria went lax under her. "You done?"

Maria nodded. "Some of us are merely human."

She rolled her eyes and released the hold, sitting up. She purposely plopped down on Maria's thigh, hitting what was likely going to be an impressive bruise.

"I hate you so much," Maria muttered, forcing her leg to relax against the flash of pain.

"I spent the last hour trying to keep you alive, and that's the thanks I get?"

Maria reached above her to stretch, squeezing her eyes shut as her exhausted muscles protested. "I was going to get you more of the Whatchamacallits you seem to be in love with, but now I'm not so sure."

Natalia flicked a finger against the stripe of skin exposed by Maria's shirt riding up. "Might be for the best. If you are what you eat, you're going to be a peanut butter cup in a matter of days."

The only reason Maria was able to twist Natalia onto her back and into a pin was that the assassin allowed it and they both knew it. Not that Natalia was content to be pinned even as she laughed at Maria's retaliation. Maria thumped her head back against the mats when she as once again under Natalia.

Something made her pause. Maria wasn't sure if it was the amused expression on Natalia's face or a look in her bright green eyes. For just a moment, nothing hurt and Maria felt utterly relaxed.

The alarms went off.

Natalia stood and hauled Maria up before shoving her at the door. "Lead the way."

Maria looked back as she grabbed her water bottle off the edge of the mats. "Oh, really?"

Natalia shrugged as she drained her own bottle. Out in the hall, she said, "I'm safer here than I am out there. And maybe I'd rather spend my life outsmarting humans rather than demons."

Maria rolled her eyes. She didn't know why, they were heading into battle after all, but she was relieved and pleased Natalia would stick around just a bit longer.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it is very hard to breathe, and therefore type, when there are 100+ wildfires in the state trying to smother the city in smoke. here's a thousand words of DOOM. you may get more before the week is out if the record high temps don't melt my brain

Natalia did her best to seem unapproachable. She didn't want people to think she was a Power Ranger because it was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, being around the team made everyone in the Aquabase treat her like just another part of the community. On the one hand, it was a bit relieving to not look over her shoulder constantly. On the other hand, if any of them ever took posts after this and she had a job...

Well, they'd all have to survive this war, first.

"Ranger Romanova, do you think you'll be going to the surface for the eclipse?"

That was the other thing; her lack of any kind of background meant everyone defaulted to the title of "Ranger." Joel and Chad held the same title out of respect, while the other three went by their ranks.

"When is it?" She made sure to sound as least interested as possible.

"It starts around one in the afternoon tomorrow."

Natalia frowned. "Thanks." She left the mess hall and refused to rotate her arm. Olympius had gotten in a good hit on her shoulder earlier in the day, and it still ached. It was during the fight he said something that was making her piece things together.

"That's your thinking face," Maria said as she looked up from her computer.

"I don't have a thinking face," Natalia said automatically as she sat in the Rangers' office. "There's an eclipse tomorrow."

Maria nodded. "The base is in the middle of negotiations for who gets to see what part of it. Totality will last long enough for a shift change, I think."

"Eclipses have significance in almost every culture. What does it mean for the demons?"

Maria traded a look with Dana and Carter. "Olympius said something about wanting us out of the way for a ceremony tomorrow when he was trying to decapitate us."

"You realize he only tries that on you two, right?" Carter asked.

Natalia smirked at him. "He considers us a bigger threat."

Carter rolled his eyes, but Dana was heading to the door. "I'm going to ask Dad about his research.

"If it means not writing this after-action report," Cater shoved away from his desk, "I'm all for research.

Maria mocked gasped. "Our ever responsible leader ignoring his paperwork? The world _must_  be coming to an end."

"I honestly don't know where anyone got the idea I'm responsible. I run into burning buildings for a living."

"Behave confidently," Natalia said, "and people will equate that to responsibility."

Maria gave her a look. "Know that from experience?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" She was too busy smirking at Maria to notice the look Dana and Carter traded.

When they reached the Colonel's office, Natalia leaned against a wall and let the others do the talking. There was a searchable database in the computers, but some of the older texts couldn't be handled enough to allow for either a scan or a typed copy. Maria volunteered herself and Natalia to go into the climate controlled room. Dana and Carter would bring the other two in and start with the more extensive computer database.

The room they ended up in was by no means a dark and musty basement. It was well lit, well kept, and spotless due to the artifacts within.

"Everything is separated by subject," Maria said, paging through the index at the front of the room. "Individual demons, locations, ceremonies, and data that couldn't be separated out."

"I'll start with the books," Natalia said, being the most patient of the Rangers. "Hopefully you'll have the quicker luck with the ceremonies."

Maria nodded and sighed. They worked quickly and quietly. There was a key of symbols and words in long dead languages for them to use so they could skim without trying to decipher whole pages. Natalia felt dread when Maria called her over.

"A solar eclipse," Maria said, moving the framed scroll to a table away from the rest of the collection. "I can't read any of this, but that's the sun, the moon, and a swirling portal to what's likely the underworld."

The images were faded, but the message was clear. Half of the foot long scroll was taken up by the picture. The rest of it was a scrawl of words Natalia would need far too much time to figure out. Maria tapped her comm unit and called the team down to the archive room.

The linguist brought down by the Colonel confirmed their worst fears.

"The demons will be able to use the eclipse to bring Skull Cavern out of the shadows," Jackson said. "From there, they'll be able to use the "zenith of the darkest day" to open the gates of hell."

Natalia liked to think she had a pretty good fight response when it came to flight or fight. She could handle just about anything the world threw at her and then some. Demons were proving to be one of those exceptions.

"We have no time to prepare," Joel said, breaking the silence.

"We have no time to prepare a proper offensive and hit them first," Colonel Mitchell agreed. "What we can do is ready a defense they won't see coming." He looked at Natalia. "Your Zord was to arrive at the end of the week. If you're willing to risk a test flight into battle, I can have it here tomorrow morning."

Natalia had far too much control over her body to let her jaw drop. She was getting a Zord. Okay, it made sense; all the other morphers came with Zords. But she figured the military didn't really want to trust the criminal with a giant machine capable of destroying a small town in minutes.

Instead of showing any kind of surprise, she nodded. "Won't be the riskiest thing I've done since I got here."

Maria and Carter rolled their eyes. Natalia found herself hoping they would all survive.

This time, she didn't berate herself for such a thought.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything is on fire and I am drying up

Dana leaned against the door and looked over the roof of the Light Speed Zord bay to the two figures sitting on the edge. The sun was setting into the sea, and Dana's two teammates had used their access level to reach the highest point of the Aquabase. Only a dozen people could even get into the maintenance stairwell. Being Rangers, the nature of their job required them to be able to access all areas of the base.

"Please tell me you two are not getting drunk on the eve of an apocalypse."

Natalia lifted the bottle that had been on a tiny ledge just beneath their feet. "Sparkling cider."

Dana wasn't quite sure what was going on with Maria and Natalia. Sometimes it was so very obvious they were flirting with each other. Sure, they did so with insults and threats, but their eyes and smiles spoke volumes more than the teasing words. Maria was the only one Natalia trusted even a little. In exchange, Dana knew Maria had put far more faith in Natalia's willingness to protect the world than she did any others.

Dana held out her hand as she sat next to Maria, kicking her feet out in the air. She took a swig and passed it back. "I'm not interrupting anything, I am?"

Maria snorted. "Just this one bragging about how she's going to make us obsolete when her Zord gets here."

"We already know you can't handle my level of power." Natalia held up the wrist wrapped with her morpher. "It's as likely my Zord will outperform yours just as much.

For Natalia, being a Ranger was truly a choice. Dana and Maria were assigned to Light Speed. The boys saw this as their responsibility, a task they had been entrusted with to see through to whatever end. It never occurred to the guys that they could say no and walk away.

"We'll see who really saves the world tomorrow," Maria said. She took a sip of her cider and closed her eyes, seemingly content.

Natalia made a face. "I like to think of it as who's going to kill the most demons."

Natalia had proved to them, to Maria, that being here was entirely a whim. That, above all else, made Maria believe Natalia would protect the world no matter what.

Maria's eyes snapped open. "Oh, you're _so_ on."

Or, so Dana figured. She was never entirely sure with these two.

* * *

Natalia's nose twitched at the overpowering smell of metal and machinery as she stepped into the Solarzord. The hall to the cockpit was short, and soon she was sitting in the pilot's chair and taking stock of the control panel.

"You need a rundown?" Maria asked as she leaned against the side of the seat back.

Natalia shrugged. "I've been figuring things out on my own for a while now."

"Yeah, but you don't need to right now." Maria motioned at the panel. "But, please, show me what you know."

Natalia smirked and found the well-marked controls that powered up the Zord. The window before her lit up with data. She quickly examined it all before shutting the door and disengaging the hanger bay anchors. The Zord had a shuttle form in the way the other Rescue vehicles were also transports. Her's was able to travel through water and air. The fighting mode would be smaller than the Megazord, but far more maneuverable.

"Solarzord, this is Control. Do you copy?"

"Solarzord copies loud and clear, Control." Natalia carefully brought the engines online. "Requesting permission for test flight."

"Permission granted. Test flight is go."

Natalia smirked up at Maria and fired up the launch jets. The Zord bay had about 150 feet of deck before the sheer drop into the ocean. Sure, the Solarzord could handle water just fine, but take off would be trickier. Taking hold of the controls, Natalia shot the Zord forward.

Maria was, unfortunately for Natalia's sense of humor, braced for the move. She barely shifted as the Zord left the hanger and skimmed the water before gaining altitude. Natalia did a lazy circle of the hanger before angling down. With a handful of quick taps, she was ready for the water.

"See?" Natalia said, relaxing as much as she could into the pilot's chair. "I know what I'm doing."

Maria huffed. "We'll see if that's true when it's time to fight."

The Zord splashed into the water, and Natalia tested the maneuverability around the Aquabase. The ease with which the huge vehicle moved was making her giddy. This was her Zord. This was how she could save the world.

"Solarzord, while underwater, fill the tanks for the water cannons."

Natalia searched for the tank controls and eased the Zord to the ocean floor. The floodgates opened and filled the tanks within seconds. Heading for the surface, Natalia started the transformation from shuttle to robot. The engines lifted them out of the water just enough for Natalia to experiment with the water canons.

"That's a lot of water pressure," Maria muttered.

"That's just enough water pressure," Natalia corrected.

"Solarzord, this is Control. Demons have started to swarm Mariner Bay."

Natalia looked up at Maria, who was already morphing. "I'll drop you off at the hanger."

"Don't have too much fun before we get there."

Once Maria was safely inside, Natalia morphed herself. She turned her Zord towards the city and sincerely hoped she could pull this off without drowning half of Mariner Bay.

* * *

Maria wasn't panicking. She wasn't. The world wasn't about to end. It couldn't. The end of the world meant Maria had failed, and she hadn't come all this way against so many odds just to fail.

But Skull Cavern was above ground. The eclipse was nearing the zenith of totality. The only thing going right for them was Natalia's zord. The new Solarzord had water-based weapons. Mariner Bay wasn't being overrun by Batlings and demons because Natalia was using an over-powered water gun on the aquaphobic monsters.

And now Maria and her team were fighting their way to the bone-covered casket in front of Queen Bansheera. Blood red light was leaking from beneath the lid. Even through her armor, Maria could feel a chill.

It wasn't a chill of fear. She refused to believe she was that scared.

"Everything's clear out here," Natalia reported over the comms.

"Good," Carter said. "We need you in here."

"Brace yourselves."

"For what?" Chad asked.

Skull Cavern shook. Rocks began to fall. Queen Bansheera stopped chanting to glare up at the ceiling.

The Solarzord ripped off the top of the Cavern.

"Are you _kidding_  me right now?!" Joel demanded.

Natalia leaped down from the top of her Zord and buried her lance into Olympius' skull. Queen Bansheera lived up to her name as her son's body dropped to the floor. It was pointless to press her hands to her ears, but Maria did it anyway.

"Maybe I won't do anything else that makes her scream like that," Natalia muttered, leaping into the fray.

"If she's making that noise," Dana said, "it means we're winning."

Even with Natalia fighting alongside them, it wasn't enough. They were able to destroy Lokai and Diabolico. Carter and Chad managed to distract Queen Bansheera for a few more minutes. She had a set of wicked, lightning-filled tentacles that could choke and lash out. In the end, she gathered energy from the shadows of the eclipse and blasted them with raw power.

_"Just as darkness conquers light, let evil triumph over light!"_

Rings of fire descended from the eclipse above, encircling Skull Cavern. Stone grated on stone as the lid slid off the casket.

 _"Demons arise!_ "

Maria froze. The entire team did the same. She couldn't help but watch her life spiral out in front of her; from a trailer park in the ass end of a grubby small town through the gauntlet of the Marines to the choices lesser and large that led her to the literal gates of hell. She couldn't understand how this became her life. How had she come so far only to lose it all?

"This is not how I die."

Natalia's voice startled Maria out of her stupor. Natalia raised her V-Lancer and charged. Maria didn't think, didn't have to. She fell in step with Natalia. Carter and Dana shot at Queen Bansheera to distract her while Joel and Chad kept the Batlings busy. Spirits of demons were starting to climb out of the casket and swirl above the chaos.

They stabbed their Lancers into Queen Bansheera's shoulders and shoved. The demon queen flipped over the edge of the casket and fell in. For the first time in two days, Maria breathed a sigh of relief.

Two tentacles whipped out from the casket and wrapped around Natalia.

Maria's heart stopped.

In a flash of silver, Natalia was gone.


	18. Chapter 18

Natalia was disoriented for only a moment. She stabbed her V-Lancer into the stone of the casket. The tentacles around her torso yanked as she and Queen Bansheera halted against gravity. She held on with both hands, but she could already feel the Lancer starting to cut through the stone. It had to be the one con of a weapon forged to cut through demon armor.

"Nat!" The sheer desperation in Maria's voice made Natalia look up to see her leaning over the edge of the casket. Maria reached down, but they were too far apart.

Around them, demonic shapes of light were crawling up the walls.

Maria looked over her shoulder. "Carter! Dana!"

Lightning surged around Natalia's body as Queen Bansheera attacked. Her grip flexed but didn't falter.

"If I'm going down," Queen Bansheera screeched, "I'm taking you with me!"

This wasn't how she wanted to die. She planned on living for a very, very long time. But if she had to choose how she died, maybe saving the world wasn't such a bad one.

It still sucked, though.

"Lower me down!" Maria demanded of her teammates.

"You still won't be able to reach her," Carter argued.

"Close the casket!" Natalia ordered. She was proud of the way her voice didn't waver or break. The Red Room raised her to be unafraid of death. This was more than death, this was a descent into hell.

"We are not leaving you down there!" Carter yelling at her was a bit of a surprise.

"We've come too far for you to risk the entire fucking planet for one person!" If it came to it, she would let go of the Lancer. They would have no reason to keep the casket open then.

She still didn't want to die.

Maria and Carter looked away as a bright golden ball rose from the depths. Vypra formed beside Natalia, a ghostly apparition. Now Natalia's heart started to race.

"Ah, Vypra!" Queen Bansheera was far too pleased. "Let us destroy the traitor!"

Vypra smirked down at the Queen. "You killed me to complete your transition into this world. My duties to you have been served." She locked eyes with Natalia even through the helmet. The abyss of her gaze gave Natalia no choice in looking away. "For all my thousands of years of power, I couldn't control you. Your own darkness, which still sings to me even now, will save you this once." She leaned in close, and Natalia could feel the ice of death seep through the armor. "Do not fall to any other unworthy being. I'll be watching."

Vypra lashed out, cutting the tentacles around Natalia. Queen Bansheera fell into hell, Vypra laughing as she followed.

The demonic lights were hauled back into the casket with their Queen. The vacuum of power was gaining strength. Chad tossed a chain with a manacle on the end down to Natalia. She grabbed ahold of the chain and yanked the Lancer out of the wall. The team quickly hauled her out. The strength of five Rangers had her flying out of the casket. The momentum made her tackle Maria and Carter to the ground.

Natalia lay half on Maria and ignored just how tightly Maria was holding on to her. After all, if she acknowledged that, she would have to take note of her own grip on Maria. There were far more critical things to occupy her mind.

The lid slid itself over the casket as totality ended.

For a moment, Natalia breathed.

Then Skull Cavern began to shake.

"We've got to get out of here!" Carter ordered, hauling them up.

Natalia tapped at her morpher. The Solarzord lowered a hand into the hole in the ceiling. They all climbed aboard and were lifted out as the Cavern started to crumble around them. The light of the sun overwhelmed the dark energy in the stone walls, which now had no demonic anchor to keep it in this world. The dust was blown away.

There was nothing to show for the battle they had fought. There was no evidence they had saved the world. Only the Solarzord's presence told anyone something had happened here.

Cater squeezed her shoulder. "Let's get back to base."

Natalia nodded and leaped up into the cockpit. She was no longer apprehensive about returning to the Aquabase. If, even after all this, she found herself in handcuffs, well... She looked down at the team. Her team. She had a feeling they wouldn't let her go without one more fight.

* * *

Maria leaned against the side of the guard shack, watching the others say their farewells to Natalia. After a day of recovery and another day to make sure the separation from the Morphing Grid had no ill effects, Natalia was ready to leave. The world was saved. Light Speed didn't need her to be the Titanium Ranger anymore.

They were all free from Light Speed, actually. Carter was going to return to his firehouse. Dana would spend a few more weeks on base going over the last few biometric readings with Doctor Fairweather before shifting to a new project. Chad and Joel would be returning to their civilian lives as well. With Colonel Mitchell's help, Maria would be able to pick her next assignment. Working on such a classified operation like Light Speed meant Maria had a lot more going for her than before.

Dana promised to start a riot within the base if Maria didn't get a promotion.

Maria pushed off the wall and joined her team once they were done. "You realize there's a tracker in this car, right?"

Natalia smirked. "You realize I've disabled far more advanced trackers than the U.S. Military can create, right?"

Maria smirked right back. "As long as you believe that."

Natalia's eyes narrowed. "Either way, leave me alone for a year before you show up telling me there are more demons to fight."

"God, I hope not," Carter muttered.

Maria reached behind her and pulled the sheathed blade from the back of her pants. "This is made of the same alloy as the V-Lancers." She handed it over to Natalia. "It won't set off any metal detectors, and since it was made in a forge powered by the Morphing Grid, it's stronger than it looks."

Natalia unsheathed the blade and examined it. The hilt was silver, with the crest of the Titanium Ranger stamped into on side and Light Speed Rescue's symbol on the other. The blade was the same gold as the V-Lancers. The sheath was patterned in the way of their diamond scale armor.

For some reason, Maria wished she had more to give Natalia. Her hands itched for more contact though she knew Natalia wasn't a hugger. Neither was Maria, honestly, but-

Natalia reached between them and yanked Maria closer, leaning back against the car when Maria stumbled into her. The kiss was sudden, hot, and apparently everything Maria wanted to do with Natalia.

"Y'all owe me SO much money."

Joel's voice didn't break them apart, but it did make them smile. Maria managed to pull a hand off of Natalia's hips to point at Joel. "If you bet on me, I get a cut."

"Fair deal."

The noise of amusement Natalia made brought Maria's attention back to her. The next kiss was slower, more reassuring than desperate for more. Maria only pulled away because her lungs burned. She leaned her forehead against Natalia's, her eyes closed.

"I need to figure some things out," Natalia murmured. "I'm no hero, but I'm not just an assassin anymore, I think."

Maria nodded.

"Don't you dare wait for me," she warned, voice low. "There are still a lot of people who want me dead."

"You have a place here."

"People expect Ranger Romanova here. That's a mask I can't wear all the time."

Maria nodded again. She understood. Going back into the general populace of the military was going to be relieving in some ways.

"If I'm able," Natalia said against her lips, "in a year, I'll find you, Maria."

The last kiss was seared into her brain. It wasn't just a promise, it was also good-bye, and it was everything they ignored over the past few months.

Maria was shoved away as suddenly as she'd been yanked in. Natalia winked at her and got into the car.

"Fucking finally," Dana muttered, wrapping an arm around Maria's waist, offering her support in more ways than one.

Natalia revved the engine and took off. Maria watched her go but took her words to heart. Their lives were far too dangerous and unpredictable to wait and see what would happen in a year. Maria would hope, but she wouldn't hold her breath.

Joel threw his arm over her shoulder's. "So. Where we having dinner? Between these three, we can afford to eat anywhere."

Maria shook her head but didn't repress her smile. "I want a properly cooked steak."

Carter and Chad started to list off steak houses they knew of in town. As they headed out, Maria knew that even if they all went separate ways tomorrow, they were never really going to be out of each other's lives. For the first time in her life, Maria knew she belonged somewhere, and it was with these people. She would do whatever it took to make sure they would always remain a team, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a couple hundred words to close this part up after this.


	19. Chapter 19

Maria didn't need to straighten up when the door was opened, and a tall man with an eye patch and billowing coat marched in. She knew how to remain composed even after being in a small office for twenty minutes. A file with her name on it was dropped onto the table between them.

"Rare are the people whose files I don't have clearance to see." He sat across from her and leaned back. "And I might be curious, but I don't have nearly as many lives like my friend here."

An orange tabby cat hopped up onto the table. It immediately sniffed at Maria's hands, then nudged at her fingers until she started to scratch behind its ears.

"Well, if Goose likes you, then maybe you're worth the risk of being a mystery."

Maria raised an eyebrow. "And if you hire people based on the judgment of a cat, maybe this place might be worth my effort. Sir."

He grinned, sharp and dangerous. "I think it just might be."

* * *

Natalia frowned when she saw something sitting on the table on the balcony. She slid open the door and raised an eyebrow at the cellphone wrapped with paper and a rubber band. Her instincts weren't telling her to be careful, so she picked it up and opened the note.

'Once a Ranger, always a Ranger. Should you need us...'

Under the list of contacts were only first names. She recognized five of them. There were a dozen others she had no knowledge of, but could easily guess they were out of Angel Grove. Looking up, she didn't even begin to imagine how anyone got a cell phone onto a balcony sixty floors up. Power Rangers were determined if nothing else.

Natalia looked at the highlighted name and debated hitting the call button. Shaking her head, she closed the phone and slipped it into her back pocket. Not yet. It had barely been two weeks. But, one day. Maybe.

After all, no one but a Power Ranger was ever going to be able to even begin to understand her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. That's the end of that. Will get working on the next part soonish. If y'all are lucky.


End file.
